In Buffalo, Kyle Okposo scored with 90 seconds left in regulation to get the Sabres even with the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-3, on Friday night, and force extra time.
Jeff Carter rescued the Pens when he hit for the game-winner in the extra session in a 4-3 victory.
“I didn’t see it come through the [defenseman’s] legs there and it just hit my skate and kind of sat nicely, so it was a real nice play by ‘Ricky,'” Carter said.
Tristan Jarry made 28 saves in the Pens win.
Pittsburgh improved to 15-8-4.
Carter’s goal came a power play carried over from the final 22 seconds of regulation.
After a scoreless first period, Jake Guentzel scored off the power play to give the Pens a 1-0 lead in the middle frame.
Buffalo answered that with two goals before the end of the period to send the game to the third, up, 2-1.
Victor Olofsson and Jeff Skinner were the second period strikers.
“You don’t want to see those kinds of plays in our game,” Carter said. “It’s pretty tough to watch, but Jake’s tough. He was back and ready to go. So we’ll take the power play and lucky enough to get the extra point tonight.”
Buffalo dropped to 12-13-2.
“You saw when they jumped on the power play is when they came to life,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “Their first goal was a power-play goal. But to that point, 5-on-5, we just couldn’t make them pay with some really good opportunities. And they were able to hang around.”
In the third period, Pittsburgh seemingly took control of the game with goals from Richard Rakell and Brock McGinn for a 3-2 lead.
“Ultimately, you’ve got to put the puck in the net and execute, and when you’re able to do that, it feels good,” the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby said of the power play. “Hopefully that can build some confidence, some momentum. It’s going to be the difference in games.”
At least until the Okposo goal tied it.
“We played a good hockey game tonight, and I thought that they were on their heels for most of the night and we had control of the play,” Okposo said. “They made that push in the third, able to battle to back, tie the game, and just unfortunate result tonight.”
Craig Anderson made 29 saves in the Sabres loss.
“We’ve got to hold our composure and we’ve got to use that as a learning curve, learning tool for us,” Anderson said. “It’s one of those things where staying in the moment and getting the two points is more important than getting frustrated. That’s what it was. It was just frustration on our part that we have to learn from.”
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