New York (WGR Sports Radio 550) - In a place where the lights are brightest, the Buffalo Sabres gleamed on Thursday night.
Visiting the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, the Sabres put their hard hats on and made the best of a bad situation late in the third period to put a huge bow on the team's 12th win in the last 13 games, 5-2.
About four minutes into the opening period, the Sabres jumped out in front.
Mattias Samuelsson kept his tremendous season rolling, as his centering pass hit Josh Doan at the perfect time for a tap-in, and a 1-0 Buffalo lead.
The Sabres doubled the lead 6:58 into the middle stanza. The theme remained the same as the first goal: A slick play from a Sabres defenseman that led to a goal for a forward.
This time, Bowen Byram's nifty drop pass created some space for Alex Tuch, who wired his 14th goal of the season off the post and in.
Two-and-a-half minutes later, the Rangers responded and got on the board.
Forward Mika Zibanejad capitalized on an odd-man rush, as linemate Artemi Panarin fed him for a one-timer that beat Sabres goalie Colten Ellis.
Exactly three minutes after Zibanejad's tally, Jason Zucker built the Sabres' lead back to two.
His net-front presence on a power play helped the Sabres score their first goal on a man advantage in the last eight games.
The score remained 3-1, Buffalo for the remainder of the second frame, though it would not last long once the third period began.
It took only 51 seconds for the Rangers to creep back to within a goal again. Forward Vincent Trocheck threw a tough-angle shot on net from deep in the right corner of the zone, and the puck trickled through Ellis to make it a 3-2 contest.
Things really got tight with 5:36 left in the contest when Peyton Krebs got called for a double-minor for high-sticking Trocheck.
Almost immediately, though, Samuelsson flipped the script and shocked everyone when he scored his first-career shorthanded goal from an incredibly-tight angle.
The Sabres weren't done there, either.
Just as Krebs' double-minor expired, Ryan McLeod was in the midst of clearing a puck out of the neutral zone. His attempt at an empty net just slid just wide, but it didn't matter, as the Sabres center out-raced two Rangers skaters to the puck from off the back wall and rammed home it home to ensure victory on Broadway.
----------
SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 4:07 - Josh Doan (14) (Mattias Samuelsson, Josh Norris)
NYR: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 6:58 - Alex Tuch (14) (Bowen Byram); 12:34 - Jason Zucker (10) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson)
NYR: 9:34 - Mika Zibanejad (16) (Artemi Panarin)
Third Period:
BUF: 14:38 - Mattias Samuelsson (7) SHG (Ryan McLeod); 18:29 - Ryan McLeod (9) ENG (Unassisted)
NYR: 0:51 - Vincent Trocheck (11) (JT Miller, Artemi Panarin)
----------
----------
Blue Star Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jason Zucker - BUF
2.) Mattias Samuelsson - BUF
3.) Colten Ellis - BUF
----------
What's next:
The Sabres return home to host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday in the first game of a five-game homestand at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.