Postgame Report | Sabres rally back but fall in overtime to Penguins

Kyle Okposo scored a power-play goal with 1:30 remaining in the third period to force overtime Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but an extended power play helped the Penguins earn a 4-3 victory over the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Jeff Skinner, who scored earlier in the game to put Buffalo ahead 2-1, was sent off with a major penalty with 22 seconds left in regulation after cross-checking Penguins forward Jake Guentzel.
That penalty put the Penguins on a five-minute power play during overtime. Jeff Carter eventually scored the winner 1:36 into the extra period.

The Sabres will play the second game of a back-to-back set with Pittsburgh on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
"I think how it got heated is great for tomorrow," Granato said. "…I think our guys will channel this the right way into a very dialed in effort tomorrow, and I base that on knowing these guys the way I do and the history of it."
Victor Olofsson also scored for Buffalo and Casey Mittelstadt notched three assists.
Goaltender Craig Anderson made 29 saves in net.
Anderson thought that the Sabres earned the short end of the stick with the major penalty, but that the team can use this as a lesson moving forward.
"We've got to hold our composure and we've got to use that as a 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."

For Pittsburgh, Guentzel, Rickard Rakell and Brock McGinn tallied. Tristan Jarry stopped 28 shots.

How it happened

PERIOD 1

Buffalo held an advantage in shots (13-6) and scoring chances (10-2) but was unable to find the back of the net in the opening period.

Henri Jokiharju led all Sabres skaters in ice time (8:47) while Alex Tuch recorded three shots.
With 3:20 remaining, Jost went to the box for high-sticking. The Sabres' penalty kill line of Mattias Samuelsson, Jokiharju, Okposo, and Zemgus Girgensons came up big with five blocked shots, including three from Samuelsson.

Anderson also robbed Carter, who was all alone in front of the net, to keep the Penguins scoreless heading into the first intermission.

PERIOD 2

After another successful penalty kill, the Sabres earned a power-play opportunity of their own. Tage Thompson ripped a shot off the goal post from the blue line.
The Penguins got on the board first with a power-play goal from Guentzel with 4:24 remaining.
The Sabres answered back with 1:52 remaining in the period as Tyson Jost found Olofsson in front of the net, who buried a shot past Jarry.

Just over a minute later, Skinner skated around Jarry to put the Sabres up 2-1 off a feed from Thompson.

PERIOD 3

Pittsburgh tied things up at the 2:53 mark as Rakell tucked the puck behind Anderson.
Brock McGinn scored with 3:30 remaining to give the Penguins the lead.
With 1:30 remaining, Jack Quinn found Okposo, who one-timed the shot to tie the game while on the power play.

OVERTIME

The Penguins opened the period with a 4-on-3 man advantage and outshot the Sabres 2-0. That second shot found the back of the net, giving Pittsburgh the extra point.

What we learned

1. Skinner, Thompson and Quinn each extended their point streaks to six games.
   Thompson has tallied 15 points (8+7) while Skinner has recorded 11 points (4+7) in that span. Quinn has registered seven points (3+4) during his current streak.

2. Mittelstadt assisted on all three of Buffalo's goals. It was the sixth time he's recorded two or more assists in a single game in his career and the second time he has done so against Pittsburgh, according to Sabres PR.
   "He's been putting in the work," Granato said. "He's dialed in his effort, his effort's been there, especially, he's elevated that the last few games. I've never questioned his effort, but I think he's pushed harder and harder and tonight he got some bounces that he hasn't been getting."
   3. The Sabres scored a power-play goal for the fifth-straight game.
   At the conclusion of Friday's game, Buffalo was tied for the third-best power play in the at 28.9 percent.
   4. The NHL Department of Player Safety tweeted out late Friday night that Skinner will have a hearing for the cross-checking infraction.

Up next

The Sabres travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday for the back half of the home-and-home series and the final meeting between the two teams this season.
Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7 on MSG and WGR 550.