Power scores in OT, Sabres rally past Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Owen Power scored at 3:14 of overtime, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from a two-goal third-period deficit for a 5-4 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

Power took a saucer pass from Jack Quinn and buried a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle after slipping past Kirill Marchenko to get open.

“We’ve done it before,” Power said of the comeback. “We did it a lot last year, coming from behind, so I think the more you’re able to do it, the more confident you get. (The goal) was just a little give-and-go, really. I think my pass almost got picked off. I was lucky to get it by and then I was in (alone).”

Quinn scored twice and had two assists, and Mattias Samuelsson had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (4-3-1), who are 2-2-1 in their past five. Noah Ostlund and Zach Benson each had two assists, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves.

“We don’t want to be down like that but there’s no quit,” Samuelsson said. “We know if we get down a couple we can score. Just kind of proving it to ourselves. So if we do get in a situation like this again, obviously it’s going to happen when you’re down a couple in a game and just know that we have the talent and skill and players to come back. Good for morale, good for confidence but again, let’s try to play with a lead sometimes, too.”

Marchenko scored a hat trick in his 300th NHL game, and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs (3-3-2), who are 2-1-2 in their past five. John Tavares had two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves.

“You either win or you have a lesson to learn and get better. It was a good lesson for us …,” Bobrovksy said. “It can be cleaned up so as we go, as we learn those mistakes can be fixed and we move on. We have a really good team here, really skilled, really competitive guys.”

Marchenko put Toronto up 2-1 at 13:10 of the first period on the power play when he took a pass at the side of the net from Tavares, curled out from along the goal line and flipped the puck between his legs over Luukkonen’s glove.

Quinn tied it 2-2 at 2:41 of the second period. He took a cross-ice feed from Ostlund, toe-dragged around Jake McCabe and finished a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

The Maple Leafs went up 3-2 at 11:13 after Tavares poked a puck loose along the sideboards, where Marchenko collected it and shot high to the glove side from the top of the left circle.

Marchenko completed the hat trick to make it 4-2 at 16:51 after one-timing pass in the slot from Colton Sissons, who was behind the net.

It was Marchenko's first hat trick with Toronto and fifth in the NHL.

“I will remember this night for sure but a win is more important and I’m kind of frustrated because it was my mistake in overtime,” Marchenko said. “I want to win games more and more and I just learn from that.”

Dennis Gilbert cut the deficit to 4-3 at 10:05 of the third period when his shot got through traffic past Bobrovsky’s glove from the blue line.

Samuelsson evened the score 4-4 at 12:16, taking a pass from Tage Thompson and placing a shot over Bobrovsky’s blocker from the high slot.

“I would say it seems like (we have been more passive) in the last three or four games than the first home stretch,” Toronto coach Jim Hiller said. “Sometimes good players can do that to you, they can get some separation and that makes it look difficult. We have to be better (in the defensive zone), there’s no question.”

Matthews scored for the third straight game to put the Maple Leafs up 1-0 at 2:24 of the first period. After leaping to glove down a clearing attempt at the blue line to keep the play onside, he got the puck to Jack Roslovic, went to the net and tapped in a return feed at the top of the crease. The goal extended his point streak to six games (six goals, seven assists).

Quinn tied it 1-1 at 3:35 of the first period. Benson got to a loose puck behind the net after it was over-skated by Nick Blankenburg and slid a pass in front to Quinn, who put it home between Bobrovsky’s pads.

“It’s the best game I’ve seen him play,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said of Quinn. “Like, all around. Four points, he had a couple goal posts, scored a couple goals. Had an unbelievable fight. Sort of. We’ll give him the Gordie Howe Hat Trick on that one.”

Maple Leafs forward Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 pick by Toronto in the 2026 NHL Draft, played only 6:36 and did not play after 10:20 of the second period. Hiller said it was a coach’s decision.

“I probably should have got him out there early in the third. I didn’t so I’ll talk to him about that … (His game) was okay, it was okay, it was fine.”

NOTES: Tavares left the game at 2:32 of the third after a collision with Sabres forward Josh Norris. He remained on the ice for about 90 seconds before getting up and skating to the dressing room under his own power along with a trainer. Hiller had no update after the game. ... Marchenko has eight points (four goals, four assists) in a six-game streak. … Norris left the game at 2:41 of overtime and did not return after falling awkwardly over top of Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ruff said he is currently in concussion protocol. … Buffalo forward Jiri Kulich did not play because he was “not feeling well” according to Ruff after the morning skate. He said tests were negative and Kulich is day to day. ... Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin missed his second straight game.