At the Horn | Sabres 3 - Penguins 1

PITTSBURGH – Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 40 of 41 shots en route to the Sabres’ 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins inside PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Zemgus Girgensons tallied the game-winning goal with 4:38 remaining in the game while Rasmus Dahlin put away an insurance goal to secure the victory.

Alex Tuch also scored while Tage Thompson, Mattias Samuelsson, Eric Robinson, and Connor Clifton each added an assist.

Thompson extended his point streak to four games with his assist, tallying three goals and three assists for six points in that span. 

Rickard Rakell scored the Penguins’ lone goal. Tristan Jarry made 29 saves in the opposing net.

The win marked Buffalo’s second in a row to open the new year as the Sabres head home for a six-game homestand on Tuesday.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1, 2:53 – Alex Tuch from Connor Clifton and Tage Thompson (BUF, 1-0)

The Sabres opened the scoring less than three minutes into the game as Clifton sent a stretch pass to Tuch, who was all alone at the opposite blue line. Tuch beat Jarry blocker side for his 10th goal of the season.

The Penguins thought they had an answer with 4:01 remaining in the opening period, when Drew O’Connor put the puck in the net following a 3-on-2 rush, but Buffalo used a coach’s challenge to challenge for an offside. The call on the ice was overturned after video review determined Sidney Crosby was offside.

The Sabres used another coach’s challenge with 1:05 to go in the first after Jake Guentzel made contact with Luukkonen while deflecting a Crosby shot into the net. The goal was called back for goaltender interference to send Buffalo into the locker room up 1-0 at the first intermission.

Period 3, 7:49 (PP) – Rickard Rakell from Erik Karlsson and Evgeni Malkin (1-1)

Buffalo was assessed two penalties 5:57 into the third as Zemgus Girgensons was called for slashing Guentzel before Clifton interfered with Crosby during the delayed penalty.  

The Penguins took advantage of the 5-on-3 opportunity, scoring their first of the game after Rakell deflected a Karlsson shot from the right circle into the net with eight seconds remaining in the power play.

Period 3, 15:22 – Zemgus Girgensons from Eric Robinson and Mattias Samuelsson (2-1, BUF)

As the Sabres put the pressure on in the Pittsburgh zone, Girgensons backhanded a loose puck on net that beat Jarry to give Buffalo the lead with 4:38 left in the game.

Period 3, 18:24 – Rasmus Dahlin, unassisted (3-1, BUF)

Dahlin added a goal from behind the Sabres’ blue line as Jarry was headed to the bench for the extra attacker. The tally secured the victory with 1:36 remaining.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

VICTORY SPEECH

POSTGAME COMMENTS

UP NEXT

The six-game homestand kicks off Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken.

Tickets are on sale now.

Pregame coverage kicks off at 6:30 p.m. on MSG/MSG+ with puck drop scheduled for 7. Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.