Sabres glide into break with consecutive comeback wins out west
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — JJ Peterka scored two goals for the second straight game and the Buffalo Sabres netted five unanswered goals to rally past the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on Saturday.
Peterka passed Jeff Skinner for the team lead with 18 goals this season.
“I think (it’s) just a stretch right now where everything goes in,” Peterka said. “I think I’m not playing a different game. I’m shooting as much as I shot before and right now things are just going in.”
Dylan Cozens added a goal and two assists, Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist, and Jordan Greenway scored a goal for the Sabres. Casey Mittelstadt had two assists to give him a team-high 30 for the season. He also leads Buffalo with 42 points.
“I don’t think we ever wavered in our confidence and our energy,” Tuch said. “Our style of play, I don’t think, really changed. We just tightened up a few areas, made a couple better plays with the puck and we were just a little stronger in puck battles.”
Buffalo forward Jack Quinn left the game in the third period after getting his left leg bent awkwardly on a check into the boards. He was helped off the ice and did not return.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves to improve to 4-1 in his career against San Jose.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jan Rutta scored for the Sharks, who had their season-best three-game winning streak snapped. Kaapo Kahkonen stopped 31 shots but fell to 0-4 against Buffalo.
The Sharks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Vlasic and Rutta.
Peterka and Greenway answered for the Sabres to tie the game at 2 after the first period.
Tuch scored early in the second to put Buffalo ahead. Peterka scored an insurance goal early in the third and Cozens added an empty-netter as the Sabres improved to 16-0-1 when leading after two periods.
Before the game, San Jose placed defenseman Henry Thrun on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and activated defenseman Ty Emberson from IR. Emberson recorded an assist.
UP NEXT
Sabres host Dallas Stars on Feb. 6 after the All-Star break.