In Chicago, the Blackhawks blew a four-goal lead on Monday night, and lost to the Buffalo Sabres, 6-5.
The Sabres rallied from 0-4 deficit and tied the game in the third period.
Alex DeBrincat put the Hawks back up, 5-4, with nine minutes left on the clock.
Alex Tuch tied the game, 5-5, for the Sabres at 17:46.
Tage Thompson won it for Buffalo off a broken stick shot that caromed off the backboards and deflected off Chicago goalie’s, Kevin Lankinen, skate and into the net for the win with 11 seconds left on the4 clock.
“I was already halfway to the bench and I heard our bench going nuts,” Thompson said. “I turned around and saw them chasing me down. Yeah, I had no clue.”
The winner came off the power play.
“I saw [Thompson] coming back to the bench to get a new stick,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said. “When it went off that back wall, it does click in your mind as you watched it that it can bounce back and back in. We had talked about lively boards this morning. There was irony to that because we had spoken of that.”
Dustin Tokarski made 16 saves. in the Sabres win.
Calvin de Haan, Sam Lafferty, and Jonathan Toews scored in the first period to give Chicago a 3-0 lead.
“We stopped playing the game the right way,” Chicago coach Derek King said. “We just decided … to just go and do what they felt like they wanted to do. Didn’t do anything we asked them to do. First period, they did. They played the game the right way. Second period, nothing. Third period, they kind of threw some flashes. It’s like putting lipstick on, right? Clean it up a little bit. Make it look good. Not good enough.
“Very surprised. Disappointed. And they should be disappointed. So we’ll find out come next game how disappointed they really are about losing a game like that.”
Seth Jones scored early in the middle frame to give the Hawks a 4-0 lead.
Buffalo started their improbable rally with two goals from Victor Olofsson, and a single strike from Kyle Okposo to close within 4-3 before the end of the second period.
“What a game,” Granato said. “My message to the team after was you get consumed and frustrated by perfection. We have to disregard that. When you win and you win championships and you win games, and these teams that win, they do it in imperfect situations.”
The Sabres’ Vinnie Hinostroza tied the game, 4-4, early in the third period.
“I don’t know if there’s any excuses for that (blowing a four-goal lead),” Toews said. “We had to find a way to find our energy tonight, and I think we did a good job of that in the first. Then I think when we had the chance to just relax and get a little comfortable, just chill out a little bit, that’s what we tend to do. Even if we’re tired, even if we’re up a couple of goals, there’s a lot of hockey left to play.”
Lankinen made 31 saves. in the Chicago loss.
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