For the first time since Jan. 10, 2007, the Buffalo Sabres went into Chicago and emerged with a victory over the Blackhawks.
The blue and gold overcame a 4-0 second period deficit to shock the Blackhawks by a final score of 6-5 at the United Center on Monday night.
The home side grabbed the early edge in this one. Just 7:53 into the contest, veteran defenseman Calvin de Haan scored his second goal of the 2021-22 season past Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski.
Later in the opening period, Chicago extended their lead to 2-0 as forward Sam Lafferty got a piece of a shot from the point his fifth goal of the year. Former Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe registered the primary assist on the scoring play.
Speaking of scoring plays, the Blackhawks had one more in them before first period's end. Captain Jonathan Toews undressed Mattias Samuelsson before beating Tokarski on the backhand to make it a 3-0 Chicago advantage.
It only took 81 seconds into the second period for defenseman Seth Jones and the Blackhawks to build their lead to 4-0. Jones' fifth goal snuck in behind Tokarski, as the Sabres soul-searched in the early goings of the middle stanza.
Enter Victor Olofsson, who finally got the Sabres on the board with consecutive goals in the second. The winger, who was ice-cold from Halloween to February, wired goals No. 6 and No. 7 this month in-behind Blackhawks goalie Kevin Lankinen.
Olofsson's efforts made it a 4-2 contest, and later Kyle Okposo pulled the Sabres back within one. Okposo was in the right place at the right time, as his 17th goal of the season went in off his skate from an initial shot taken by Dylan Cozens.
The Sabres completed the four-goal comeback in the early stages of the third period of play. Amazingly, it was the second time in less than a week that Chicago had blown such a lead.
Vinnie Hinostroza haunted his former employer with his 11th goal of the season to tie things at 4-4.
A little over eight minutes later, Chicago ended the Sabres' run of goals at four when sniper Alex DeBrincat temporarily broke the hearts of the blue and gold, who had climbed all the way back. DeBrincat's power play goal made it a 5-4 contest just past the halfway point of the final period of regulation.
As has been the case for several games now, the Sabres never quit.
Buffalo had an answer for another dose of adversity from their opponents with just 2:14 remaining in regulation. This time, it was Olofsson finding Alex Tuch streaking toward Lankinen for the game-tying goal.
It seemed like the Sabres were destined for their sixth-consecutive overtime game, but Tage Thompson and company had other plans.
On a power play chance for the rest of regulation, Rasmus Dahlin fed Thompson for a one-time opportunity. The forward's shot attempt exploded his stick, but the puck slunk its way in the goal after rebounding off the back boards and off the skate of Lankinen with just 11.3 seconds left in the third.
Thompson's 28th goal of the season shocked the Chicago fans and helped the Sabres complete a wild comeback in unusual fashion. More importantly, it also prevented the blue and gold from needing overtime yet again.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
CHI: 7:53 - Calvin de Haan (2) (Taylor Raddysh, Dominik Kubalik); 13:44 - Sam Lafferty (5) (Jake McCabe, Reese Johnson); 16:55 - Jonathan Toews (10) PPG (Philipp Kurashev, Dominik Kubalik)
Second Period:
BUF: 4:50 - Victor Olofsson (13) PPG (Dylan Cozens, Henri Jokiharju); 10:24 - Victor Olofsson (14) (Jeff Skinner); 14:32 - Kyle Okposo (17) (Dylan Cozens, Will Butcher)
CHI: 1:21 - Seth Jones (5) (Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome)
Third Period:
BUF: 2:39 - Vinnie Hinostroza (11) (Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson); 17:46 - Alex Tuch (Victor Olofsson, Casey Mittelstadt); 19:48 - Tage Thompson (48) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch)
CHI: 10:56 - Alex DeBrincat (38) PPG (Patrick Kane, Dylan Strome)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 15:22 - Casey Fitzgerald (Tripping - 2 min.)
CHI: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
CHI: 3:24 - Caleb Jones (Holding - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 9:40 - Vinnie Hinostroza (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
CHI: 6:35 - Boris Katchouk (Tripping - 2 min.); 18:51 - Dylan Strome (Hooking - 2 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Tage Thompson - BUF
2.) Victor Olofsson - BUF
3.) Alex Tuch - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres return home to host the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with pregame coverage on WGR with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog starting at 6 p.m. ET.
