Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres coasted to a 7-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night at KeyBank Center thanks to a five-goal second period.
The Sabres got off to a quick start as Tage Thompson scored on the first shot of the game, just 27 seconds into the first period.
Minutes later, it was Peyton Krebs scoring on the second shot of the game with a deflection in front of the Penguins net.
Pittsburgh got one back midway through the first period, as Sidney Crosby converted from in tight, roofing the puck past Sabres goalie James Reimer.
Buffalo scored early and often in the second frame.
Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram worked his way to the front of the Penguins net before leaving a nice drop pass for forward Jiri Kulich, who gave Buffalo a 3-1 advantage.
Less than two minutes later, defenseman Mattias Samuelsson got in on the action to extend Buffalo’s lead to 4-1 on a wrist shot from the faceoff dot.
Sabres forward Isak Rosen picked up an assist on the goal, marking his first career point registered in the NHL.
The offensive onslaught continued in the middle frame as Kulich ripped home his second of the night, making it 5-1 for Buffalo.
Just 28 seconds later, forward Tyson Kozak banged home a loose puck in the crease to extend the Sabres lead to 6-1.
Alex Tuch capped off the onslaught in the second period, scoring in the final minute to give Buffalo a 7-1 lead heading into the locker room.
Pittsburgh managed to net a pair of goal in the final 20 minutes, but it was too little, too late to make a difference on the scoreboard. Blake Lizotte and Kevin Hayes were given credit for the Penguins’ markers in the third period that closed out the scoring in the 7-3 final in Downtown Buffalo.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 0:27 - Tage Thompson (36) (Zach Benson, Rasmus Dahlin), 4:44 - Peyton Krebs (7) (Alex Tuch, Connor Clifton)
PIT: 11:11 - Sidney Crosby (26) (Rickard Rickell, Matt Grzelcyk)
Second Period:
BUF: 3:36 - Jiri Kulich (13) (Bowen Byram, Tage Thompson), 5:20 - Mattias Samuelsson (4) (Isak Rosen, Rasmas Dahlin), 11:34 - Jiri Kulich (14) (Bowen Byram, Jack Quinn), 12:02 - Tyson Kozak (3) (Beck Malenstyn, Peyton Krebs), 19:34 - Alex Tuch (28) (Owen Power, Tyson Kozak)
PIT: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
PIT: 2:16 - Blake Lizotte (10) (Unassisted), 13:54 - Kevin Hayes (11) (Conor Timmins, Ryan Graves)
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Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jiri Kulich - BUF
2.) Tyson Kozak - BUF
3.) Peyton Krebs - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres travel to Philadelphia on Saturday for an afternoon matinee with the Flyers. Faceoff from the Wells Fargo Center is slated for 1 p.m., with all the action available on WGR Sports Radio 550.