Evangelista has 4 points, Predators defeat Sabres to end skid at 3

BUFFALO -- Luke Evangelista had two goals and two assists for the Nashville Predators in a 7-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

The forward tied the Predators record for most points in a period (
Filip Forsberg
, third period, March 21, 2022) and became the second rookie in their history with at least four points in a game (Dan Hamhuis, five points, March 4, 2004).
"With all the movement and stuff that's gone on, there's an opportunity for young guys here," said Evangelista, who made his NHL debut Feb. 28. "I think we're all just doing our best to take advantage of it and make a name for ourselves and earn a reputation and just try to stick as long as we can."

Matt Duchene had two goals and an assist, Philip Tomasino, Tommy Novak and Ryan McDonagh each had a goal and an assist, and Juuse Saros made 28 saves for Nashville (35-26-8), which ended a three-game skid (0-2-1).
The Predators remained five points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with three games in hand. The Jets defeated the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Tuesday.
"I think the way that we played without the puck tonight is going to be important," Nashville coach John Hynes said. "That's how you have to play down the stretch to be able to get yourself in the playoffs. And I think we need to build off of some of those things coming in."
Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson scored for the Sabres (33-31-6), who have lost four straight and 10 of 12 (2-8-2). Craig Anderson allowed six goals on 20 shots before being replaced by in the second period by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who made six saves.
Buffalo failed to gain ground in the Eastern Conference wild card race. They remained seven points behind the Florida Panthers, who lost 6-3 at the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
"Obviously, there's a lot of pressure," Thompson said. "We can feel that. I think it's the first time in a while this team's been close to the playoffs. We wanted to be the group that can push and get there, so with that comes that added pressure. But we've got to learn how to play with that, and that's something we're learning to do right now. … A lot of it is self-inflicted, so the good news about that is we can clean that up."
Tomasino gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 11:45 of the first period on a shot from the left face-off circle that grazed the back of the leg of Buffalo defenseman Henri Jokiharju, after taking a pass from Duchene on a 2-on-1.
Duchene made it 2-0 at 18:43 after being left uncovered at the bottom of the right circle.

Cozens cut it to 2-1 at 3:36 of the second period when he got his stick on the rebound of a shot from JJ Peterka in the slot.
Novak got behind the Sabres defense to break in alone and push the lead to 3-1 just 24 seconds later at 4:00. It was his fifth goal in the past seven games.
Duchene appeared to score at 4:53, but Buffalo challenged for offside and the goal was overturned after video review showed Cody Glass preceded the puck into the offensive zone.
Evangelista finished a pass from Novak inside the right circle on a 2-on-1 to make it 4-1 at 9:21, and he extended to 5-1 at 10:01, sliding a backhand over Anderson's right pad on a breakaway.
"Evangelista and Novak have been outstanding for us offensively," Duchene said. "We've needed that scoring down the lineup and they've been really good. Guys have stepped up, and we keep getting guys hurt and guys keep coming up and playing well and we're going to keep going with it."

McDonagh, who played 17:08 in his return after missing four games with an upper-body injury, put the Predators ahead 6-1 at 15:52 from the high slot, chasing Anderson from the net.
Thompson brought Buffalo to within 6-2 at 17:17 with a one-timer from the left circle on a 5-on-3 advantage. It was his 43rd goal of the season and first in nine games.
Skinner narrowed it to 6-3 when he lifted his own rebound over a sprawled Saros from in front at 7:45 of the third period for his 30th goal of the season, but Duchene scored into an empty net at 17:37 for the 7-3 final.
"You have to have the ability to keep things in the game simple, and that's what we're going to learn through this," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "You'll learn the greater respect for how to keep the game simple, and it will be situational awareness. When you have a team that's a growing team, that's what they have to learn. … I stand here with conviction knowing that we will be better through this."
NOTES: Evangelista had three points in 6:01, the fastest by a rookie in Predators history (Andy Berenzweig, 6:40, Dec. 29, 2001). … Forward Rasmus Asplund had one shot in 11:59 in his first game against the Sabres since they traded him to the Predators on March 3. He played 164 games in four seasons with Buffalo. … Rasmus Dahlin reached 50 assists to become the first Buffalo defenseman to do so since Phil Housley in 1989-90.