Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550/WBEN/AP) - If the teary-eyed hugs with his two sons and wife at the Zamboni entrance weren’t hints enough, Sabres goalie Craig Anderson made it official following a 4-3 overtime win against Ottawa on Thursday night. He’s retiring after a 20-year career.
“This is it,” Anderson said after a 30-save performance in Buffalo’s home finale in which he was mobbed by teammates and celebrated in front of a crowd chanting, “Andy! Andy! Andy!” after Casey Mittelstadt scored 1:18 into the extra frame.
“I think I left it all out there. At the end of the day, I did everything I possibly could to make sure that I was competitive and gave the team a chance to win,” Anderson added. “You’ve got to be honest with yourself. And that’s just the way this game goes, Father Time always catches up to you.”
The 41-year-old from Park Ridge, Illinois — who won’t be suiting up in Buffalo’s season finale at Columbus on Friday — closes his career at 319-275-71. He ranks fifth among American-born goalies in wins and games played, and third with 43 shutouts, one behind Ryan Miller.
“It was emotional. Yeah, I mean, you don’t get to write your own ending very often, especially in this sport," Sabres captain Kyle Okposo said. "We wanted that one for him. Just an incredible scene.”
Casey Mittelstadt netted the game-winning goal in overtime, while goalie Craig Anderson made 30 saves in, what ends up being, a win in his final NHL game.
The Sabres and Senators each got a chance on the power play in the first period, but neither team was able to get on the scoreboard. The Sabres held the advantage in shots on goal through 20 minutes, 12-11.
Henri Jokiharju gave the Sabres the 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into the second period. His point shot bounced off the glove of goalie Mads Sogaard and past him into the net.
Just minutes later, Victor Olofsson found a loose puck in the crease and gave the Sabres a two-goal lead.
The Senators came back quickly, scoring two quick goals to tie it. First it was Tim Stutzle on the power play, followed by Dylan Gambrell scoring less than two minutes later to make it 2-2.
Claude Giroux gave the Senators their first lead of the night, though not without some controversy. The goal was reviewed for some time due to a potential kicking motion, but the call on the ice stood.
Ottawa held a 3-2 lead after two periods of play, but got outshot by Buffalo once again in the period, 13-12.
Tage Thompson got the Sabres even early in the third on the power play with a one-timer off a feed from Jeff Skinner.
The game remained tied at 3-3 at the end of regulation, so the home finale for Buffalo would head to overtime.
In only took 1:18 for Casey Mittelstadt to close things out for the Sabres, as he scored the game-winner to give Buffalo the 4-3 victory.
After the overtime, the Sabres and Senators both paid their respects to Anderson for a tremendous career, as he now heads for retirement.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
OTT: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 0:43 - Henri Jokiharju (3) (Casey Mittelstadt); 2:46 - Victor Olofsson (27) (Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons)
OTT: 4:27 - Tim Stutzle (39) PPG (Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson); 6:11 - Dylan Gambrell (4) (Egor Sokolov); 12:36 - Claude Giroux (35) (Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle)
Third Period:
BUF: 3:03 - Tage Thompson (47) PPG (Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch)
OTT: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: 1:18 - Casey Mittelstadt (14) (Rasmus Dahlin, Jeff Skinner)
OTT: NONE
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 9:04 - Kyle Okposo (Interference - 2 min.)
OTT: 15:35 - Tyler Kleven (Slashing - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 3:59 - Tage Thompson (Hooking - 2 min.)
OTT: 10:16 - Erik Brannstrom (Hooking - 2 min.); 14:46 - Dylan Gambrell (Slashing - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 14:36 - JJ Peterka (Tripping - 2 min.)
OTT: 1:33 - Artem Zub (Interference - 2 min.)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
OTT: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Craig Anderson - BUF
2.) Casey Mittelstadt - BUF
3.) Tage Thompson - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres head to Columbus for the final game of the season on Friday night against the Blue Jackets for a 7:30 p.m. ET faceoff. Catch all of the action on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550 - starting with pregame coverage at 6:30 p.m. ET with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.