With a chance to complete a perfect three-game road trip, a Buffalo Sabres' comeback attempt was thwarted in overtime by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jeff Carter's game-winning tally in the extra frame sent the Sabres back to Buffalo on the wrong side of 3-2 finish at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins opened the scoring less than six minutes into this affair. Former Sabres forward Evan Rodrigues found paydirt on the first powerplay of the night, netting his 10th goal of the season.
In the second period, Pittsburgh was at it again. Brock McGinn was left all alone in front of Malcolm Subban, and the forward scored on a rebound to make it 2-0 Penguins.
Zemgus Girgensons and the Sabres trimmed their deficit in half with 7:25 to play in the middle stanza. Lurking in front of the net, Girgensons was able to pounce on a rebound on a shot from the point by Casey Fitzgerald, playing in his first NHL game.
It was Girgensons' sixth goal of the campaign, and Fitzgerald tallied his first career point in the NHL with his primary assist on the play.
Then, with just over five minutes to go in regulation, the Sabres found the equalizer. The "Rasmus to Rasmus" connection struck when Asplund found Dahlin slinking his way down low in the slot.
It was Dahlin's sixth goal of 2021-22, and third on the three-game road trip.
The game stayed tied through the remainder of regulation as the teams prepped for overtime. For the Sabres, it was the second consecutive night they played into an extra frame after beating the Minnesota Wild in a shootout Thursday evening.
In overtime, it was Pittsburgh's Jeff Carter playing hero with the game-winning goal at the 2:53 mark. Despite the loss, forcing overtime helped the Sabres nab five out of the possible six points on their road trip.
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jeff Carter - PIT
2.) Evan Rodrigues - PIT
3.) Casey Fitzgerald - BUF
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What's Next:
The blue and gold come back home to host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. Puck drop at KeyBank Center is set for 7 p.m. EST, and the Paul William Beltz Pregame Show with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog starts at 6 p.m. EST on the radio home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
