Skinner scores twice to fuel another comeback as Sabres win 8th straight

Jeff Skinner had no idea where his shot was headed as he fell backward onto the ice. The roar of another sellout crowd at KeyBank center provided an answer.
Skinner scored to erase yet another third-period deficit with 2:26 remaining in regulation and then added a power-play goal in overtime to clinch a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday. He now has 17 goals this season, giving him a share of the NHL lead with Boston's David Pastrnak.
Buffalo's winning streak is up to eight games, six of which have required third-period comebacks.

"I didn't see it go in, so it was a nice way to find out," Skinner said of his goal in overtime. "[The fans] were into it. It was a fun game to win."

The Canadiens took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal from Andrew Shaw with 11:42 remaining in the third period, kicking the Sabres into desperation mode. Buffalo went on to outshoot Montreal 16-13 in the period, finally pouncing when Skinner buried a rebound of a Sam Reinhart shot.
Rasmus Ristolainen drew a slashing penalty at 1:32 in overtime, prompting a 4-on-3 power play. The quartet of Eichel, Skinner, Ristolainen and Rasmus Dahlin maintained possession throughout the man advantage, with Skinner hunting for loose pucks while the two defensemen fired shots.
Eventually, a Dahlin shot created a rebound opportunity in front of Canadiens goalie Antti Niemi. As Eichel swatted at the loose puck, Skinner was able to gain control and squeak it between a pair of Montreal defenders.
Eichel was the first Sabre to see the puck cross the goal line, lifting both arms in the air to signal the victory.

"[Dahlin] puts a shot to the net and I think we just converge," Eichel said. "Kind of lost the puck whacking at it down there and all of a sudden it was in the back of the net. It's great to see us get another win and keep going."
"There's definitely some luck," Skinner added. "You don't really pick that spot. I think it's a good job by Eichs, collapsing and creating that opportunity. They did a great job, those three guys working around up top, for the first minute and a half there. But yeah, I think we'll take it any way it comes."
Casey Mittelstadt opened the scoring for the Sabres at 12:39 in the first period, cleaning up a rebound after Conor Sheary deflected a shot from Jake McCabe off the post. The goal was Mittelstadt's fourth of the season and second in three games.

Montreal tied the game with 1:48 remaining in the second period on a shot from Brendan Gallagher, who earlier had seen a goal taken off the board when it was ruled that he kicked the puck in past Sabres goalie Carter Hutton.
Gallagher and Hutton met one last time thanks to an odd bounce in the game's final minute, with the goaltender getting the last laugh. The puck died as it rimmed along the boards (Hutton believed it hit the camera hole) leaving Hutton and Gallagher as the only two on the ice who knew where it was.
While the rest of the Sabres skated out of the defensive zone, Gallagher picked the puck up for a one-on-one opportunity. Hutton was able to make the stop as part of a 31-save effort.
"I think me, and Gallagher were the only two in the rink that knew where the puck was," he said. "I was screaming there, I think my voice was cracking. I was yelling where the puck was. I think everybody was drifting out of the zone, didn't know it was there.
"I thought tonight was just one of those nights. Just be solid. I thought that one was the timely save."

Hutton extended his career-best winning streak to seven games, the best run from a Sabres goalie since Ryan Miller won eight in a row from Oct. 8 to 30, 2009. His 11 wins this season rank second in the NHL behind Toronto's Frederik Andersen.
"I just try to stick to the script and do what I do best and battle," Hutton said. "I don't try to get too high or too low. I just try to stay even-keel. It's something that is the same thing I've been doing for a few years now, just trying to be consistent and battle."
The Sabres, meanwhile, are still riding their best streak since a run of 10 wins to open the 2006-07 season. Their 8-2-1 mark at KeyBank Center puts them on pace for their best home record since going 27-5-8 in 1979-80.
Afterward, Eichel's focus was already on trying for win No. 9.
"I think we're enjoying it for sure," the Sabres captain said. "We don't want to lose. I mean, who wants to lose? You want to win every game you go out and try and play. We've got another tough test tomorrow in Detroit against a team that's been playing really well.
"We'll definitely enjoy this come-from-behind win and savor it a bit, but it's a really quick turnaround so we can't dwell on it too much. We've got to get ready to play a good team tomorrow."

Up next

The Sabres conclude their stretch of six games in nine days in Detroit on Saturday. Coverage on MSG-B begins at 6:30 p.m. with the GMC Game Night pregame show, or you can listen live on WGR 550. The puck drops at 7.
The team returns to KeyBank Center on Tuesday to host Evander Kane and the San Jose Sharks. Tickets for that and other home games can be purchased through Monday with no extra convenience fees as part of a Black Friday offer.