Chicago, Ill. (WGR 550) - Despite taking a 3-1 lead into the third period of play, the Buffalo Sabres allowed three unanswered goals and lost, 4-3, to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime at the United Center on Tuesday night.
After 20 minutes of action, it was the Sabres who held a 2-1 lead, despite falling behind early.
Just 8:41 into the game, Chicago defenseman Connor Murphy activated and snuck down deep into an offensive zone possession. His shot beat Sabres goalie Craig Anderson clean for the 1-0 advantage.
The blue and gold had answers, though, as two different lines put in work to aid a response.
First, it was the Casey Mittelstadt-Tyson Jost-Victor Olofsson trio that teamed up for a hard-working goal that Mittelstadt started in the corner. Olofsson finished the play off a setup by Jost for his 18th goal of the season.
Then, it was the top line of Alex Tuch, Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson orchestrating the Sabres' second goal. With just seven seconds remaining on the clock, Thompson was able to net his 32nd goal of the season to put Buffalo on top heading into the locker room.
The tally also snapped Thompson's five-game goalless drought.
The only goal of the second period came off the stick of Peyton Krebs, as he extended the Sabres' edge to 3-1. Krebs' fourth goal of the season was a nifty one, as it came via a shorthanded breakaway. Krebs was in the right place at the right time, as an errant pass went rogue at the Chicago blue line.
That would also be the last goal the Sabres could muster up, as the Blackhawks turned up the heat in the third.
Forward Philipp Kurashev's goal made it a one-goal contest early in the third period, then defenseman Seth Jones tied things up inside the final minute of regulation at 3-3.
In overtime, Jones struck again for his second goal of the night. The game-winner was his fourth of the season, as it sent the Sabres back to Buffalo losers of five out of their last six decisions.
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GAME RECAP:
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 12:15 - Victor Olofsson (18) (Tyson Jost, Casey Mittelstadt); 19:53 - Tage Thompson (32) (Jeff Skinner, Alex Tuch)
CHI: 8:41 - Connor Murphy (4) (Philipp Kurashev, Jonathan Toews)
Second Period:
BUF: 6:21 - Peyton Krebs (4) SHG (Unassisted)
CHI: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
CHI: 1:34 - Philipp Kurashev (6) (Seth Jones, Taylor Raddysh); 19:04 - Seth Jones (3) (Philipp Kurashev, Tyler Johnson)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
CHI: 2:24 - Seth Jones (4) (Tyler Johnson)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
CHI: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 5:34 - TEAM (Too many men on the ice - 2 min.)
CHI: 3:10 - Jack Johnson (Boarding - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 1:34 - Rasmus Dahlin (Misconduct - 10 min.)
CHI: 5:58 - Connor Murphy (Cross-checking - 2 min.)
Overtime:
BUF: NONE
CHI: NONE
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Seth Jones - CHI
2.) Philipp Kurashev - CHI
3.) Connor Murphy - CHI
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What's next:
The Sabres return home to host the New York Islanders for "Ryan Miller Night" on Thursday at KeyBank Center.
The former Sabres goaltender will have his No. 30 hung in the rafters alongside the other greats in franchise history. Fans attending the game are encouraged to get to their seats by 5:50 p.m. EST so not to miss the start of the ceremony at 6 p.m. EST.
Faceoff is slated for shortly after 7:30 p.m. EST on Thursday with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. EST with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog on the flagship home of the Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
