New York City, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - With both Tampa Bay and Montreal idle on Wednesday, the Buffalo Sabres claimed sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Divison thanks to their 5-3 comeback victory over the New York Rangers.
The Sabres opened the scoring just 4:40 into the opening period. Ryan McLeod did the work for the blue and gold, corralling a lead pass from Jason Zucker and flew in on goalie Igor Shesterkin. When McLeod deposited his 13th goal of the campaign, he snapped a personal 17-game goal drought in the process.
Just over four-minutes later, Zach Benson was in the right place at the right time. He was credited with a deflection of Rasmus Dahlin's point shot, good for his 11th goal of 2025-26.
On brand, Benson wreaks havoc in front
Just before period's end, though, the Rangers got on the board. With McLeod in the penalty box, forward Alexis Lafreniere tipped defenseman Adam Fox's slap-shot in behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The powerplay goal made it 2-1 Buffalo.
New York stormed all the way back in the early goings of the middle stanza. With just three-minutes gone, Rangers defenseman Drew Fortescue snatched the puck away from Josh Doan in the neutral zone. Fortescue then located Lafreniere, and sent his teammate in alone in a miniature breakaway. Lafreniere snapped the game-tying goal, high blocker side past Luukkonen and made it a 2-2 contest.
The Rangers kept humming later in the second period. Their second powerplay goal in as many opportunities came via the stick of defenseman Adam Fox. Using Mattias Samuelsson and Alex Tuch as dueling screens in front, Fox wired the go-ahead goal home past a guessing Luukkonen.
The Sabres were able to put a trying middle frame behind them, though, and get back to work come the third period of play. A pair of goals just 83-seconds apart vaulted the blue and gold from down a goal to up one in an instant.
Alex Tuch tied the game, three goals apiece 5:45 into the third. His slick set of hands were on display, as he deflected home Peyton Krebs' point shot to tie up the affair.
Following suit was Jason Zucker. He fought hard for a loose puck in Shesterkin's crease and his persistence paid off. Zucker's 24th goal of the season made it a 4-3 Sabres advantage with 12:46 to play in regulation.
Zucker's go-ahead goal in the third
In the late stages, the Rangers waved Shesterkin to the bench for an extra attacker. It did not matter to the Sabres, though, as the team weathered the storm and countered with a hard-working empty-net goal to ice things for good. Doan stripped the puck away in the neutral zone, and dished the empty-net opportunity over to Benson for his second goal of the evening.
With three games left in the regular season, the Buffalo Sabres currently sit at 48-23-8, and their 104 points is tops in the Atlantic Division.
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BUF: 4:40 - Ryan McLeod (13) (Jason Zucker, Connor Timmins); 8:58 - Zach Benson (11) (Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram)
NYR: 19:21 - Alexis Lafreniere (23) PPG (Adam Fox, JT Miller)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
NYR: 2:57 - Alexis Lafreniere (24) (Drew Fortescue); 14:44 - Adam Fox (9) PPG (Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad)
Third Period:
BUF: 5:45 - Alex Tuch (31) (Peyton Krebs, Tage Thompson); 7:14 - Jason Zucker (24) (Ryan McLeod); 18:45 - Zach Benson (12) ENG (Josh Doan)
NYR: NONE
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Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jason Zucker - BUF
2.) Ryan McLeod - BUF
3.) Alexis Lafreniere - NYR
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What's Next:
The blue and gold are back in action tomorrow night, April 9 hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is set for 7 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.
Buffalo coughed up 2-0 lead, but came back with three goals in third
Buffalo coughed up 2-0 lead, but came back with three goals in third
