The Buffalo Sabres were able to recover after surrendering a three-goal lead to defeat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night at Honda Center. Rasmus Asplund scored twice for the Sabres, including the game-winning goal in overtime.
Zemgus Girgensons broke the scoreless tie late in the opening period on a rebound attempt. Mark Pysyk helped create the scoring chance with a pass to Kyle Okposo through the neutral zone leading into the offensive end. Okposo took the initial shot that was saved by Ducks goalie Anthony Stolarz, but Girgensons cleaned up the juicy second chance. Okposo and Psysk were credited with assists on the goal that gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
Craig Anderson was able to make several key saves in the first period to allow the Sabres to take a one-goal lead into the first intermission. The veteran goaltender stopped all 17 Anaheim shots on goal in the period, including 11 shots in the first nine minutes of the period.
An ex-Sabres forward was called for interference early in the second period, and it led to the blue and gold doubling the lead. Nic Deslauriers was penalized for the Ducks three-and-a-half minutes into the middle stanza for the first penalty of the game.
It didn't even take a minute for Asplund to use a one-time shot from a pass by Rasmus Dahlin to score his second goal of the year and extend Buffalo's lead to 2-0. Dahlin and Victor Olofsson received the assists.
Less than two minutes later, the Buffalo lead ballooned to 3-0 thanks to a puck sent to the net by Anders Bjork. The shot was deflected by a Ducks defender and hit off Arttu Ruotsalainen's stick.
Troy Terry was able to capitalize on a rush in transition into the offensive zone with the Sabres and Ducks skating 4-on-4, trimming the deficit to 3-1 for Anaheim. Terry's third goal of the season was assisted by Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler.
Later in the second, Adam Henrique's 200th career NHL goal cut the Anaheim deficit to 3-2, as he jammed in a rebound chance in front of the Buffalo net past Anderson. Jakob Silfverberg and Isaac Lundestrom were credited with the assists.
Simon Benoit's first career NHL goal came six minutes into the third period to complete the Anaheim come back and tie the game at 3-3. The defenseman's shot could not be stopped by Anderson as it crossed the goal line. Kevin Shattenkirk was credited with the lone assist on the goal.
The Sabres were credited with just one shot on goal in the third period, compared to 10 for Anaheim.
Buffalo had the only two shots on goal in the 3-on-3 overtime session, and were able to score the game-winning goal with less than a minute to go in the period. Asplund received a pass from Olofsson across the ice and scored on an open net for the 4-3 victory. Olofsson and Dahlin assisted on the goal.
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GAME SUMMARY
Goal Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 15:03 - Zemgus Girgensons (3) (Kyle Okposo, Mark Pysyk)
ANA: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 4:24 - Rasmus Asplund (2) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Olofsson); 6:01 - Arttu Ruotsalainen (1) (Anders Bjork, Vinnie Hinostroza)
ANA: 7:46 - Troy Terry (3) (Ryan Getzlaf, Cam Fowler); 16:31 - Adam Henrique (2) (Jakub Silfverberg, Isac Lundenstrom)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
ANA: 5:59 - Simon Benoit (1) (Kevin Shattenkirk)
Overtime:
BUF: 4:16 - Rasmus Asplund (3) (Victor Olofsson, Rasmus Dahlin)
ANA: NONE
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
ANA: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 6:18 - Rasmus Asplnd (Interference - 2 min.)
ANA: 3:30 - Nic Deslauriers (Interference - 2 min.); 6:06 - Josh Manson (Interference - 2 min.)
Third Period
BUF: NONE
ANA: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
ANA: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Rasmus Asplund - BUF
2.) Cam Fowler - ANA
3.) Troy Terry - ANA
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What's next:
The Sabres will stay out west for the second game of their four-game road trip. Buffalo will meet the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET at Staples Center. With coverage of the Buffalo Bills' matchup with the Miami Dolphins taking place on WGR, you can hear Sunday's coverage of the Sabres-Kings matchup on The Bet 1520. Pregame coverage with Brian Koziol begins at 3 p.m. ET.