Postgame Report | Tuch scores OT winner against Boston in 4-point game

BOSTON -Alex Tuch ended his year as he started it: scoring a goal at TD Garden, wearing the uniform he dreamt about as a child growing up in Syracuse.
Tuch scored his first goal with the Sabres in an overtime loss in Boston on January 1. The major difference Saturday was the result. Tuch closed 2022 with a two-goal, four-point outing, including the winning score 3:53 into overtime to finish a 4-3 victory over the Bruins.
The win was Buffalo's sixth in a row, and only the third home loss for Boston all season. Tuch reflected on what it all meant as he sat in the visiting dressing room afterward.
"I've had the best time of my life this past year," he said. "It's been an absolute dream putting on this sweater every night. But just to be with this group of guys has been unbelievable. I'm super excited for the future for this entire organization and all the guys in the locker room. I love playing with each and every one of them."

Video: POSTGAME: Tuch
The Bruins entered Saturday a notch above the rest of the NHL in virtually every respect. They ranked second in scoring and first in goals allowed. Their special teams units each ranked in the top four. Their NHL-best goal differential stood at plus-57, nearly double that of second-place Dallas.
Sabres coach Don Granato said prior to departing for Boston that he expected his team to embrace the challenge, which he referred to as an opportunity. His belief was vindicated by how his players responded to adversity throughout the afternoon.
The Sabres fell behind early before pulling ahead, 2-1, in the second period. That lead dissipated in the third when Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand scored the tying and go-ahead goals, respectively. The momentum could have turned fully in Boston's favor when, with 6:32 remaining, a double-minor against JJ Peterka was followed immediately by a minor against Ilya Lyubushkin.
Anchored by the performance of goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, the Sabres killed off 1:57 down 5-on-3 along with the latter half of Peterka's penalty. The Sabres pulled Luukkonen for an extra attacker, setting the stage for Dylan Cozens to score the tying goal with 1:37 remaining.
"We found a way to come back, battle through adversity, and beat the best team in the league," Cozens said. "I think that shows that we're for real."
Video: BUF@BOS: Tuch takes pass from Cozens and scores in OT
Cozens executed the winning play with the same level of confidence. The 21-year-old stripped the puck from five-time Selke winner Bergeron in the defensive zone, carried it end-to-end, and delivered a pass to Tuch in front.
"He's tough to handle," Granato said of Cozens. I don't care who you are on the other team. When he bears down and competes and you see the athleticism, the skill, the strength come to the forefront and it was all on that."
Added Tuch: "We came in here and I thought a lot of guys really showed up and worked really hard. I thought that was one of the shining examples."
Tuch, too, was a difference maker with his work ethic. He poked the puck away from Connor Clifton to initiate the sequence that led to Tage Thompson's goal in the first period. He put the Sabres ahead with a breakaway goal of his own in the second.
His long-distance chemistry with Rasmus Dahlin paved the way for Cozens' tying goal. Dahlin blocked David Pastrnak's shot on an empty net and hit Tuch with a stretch pass. Tuch delivered a drop pass to Cozens, who buried a one-timer.
"We had a little bit of eye contact there and I knew he was going to send it down," Tuch said. "Cozey saw it too, so I just knew I had to get it a little bit closer to the middle there."
Tuch's four-point outing upped his season totals to 17 goals and 39 points. He's on pace to shatter his previous career highs in both categories, though Granato reiterated his belief that Tuch is still only scratching the surface of his potential.
"He was incredible tonight," Granato said. "Obviously it was his night to rise and dictate, influence, take over. … He's had a solid NHL career to this point but the potential that he has, it's enormous. He hasn't even scratched the surface. And a night like tonight is what we've been talking about."
That belief is a microcosm of Granato's thoughts on the Sabres - riding high after six straight wins, but still nowhere near where they hope to be.
"Our guys want more, more and more," he said. "Are we good relative to where we think and feel we can get to competing and working and progressing? That's a mentality that these guys have had. Real competitive. They never settle and they've got to continue that."
Video: POSTGAME: Granato
PERIOD 1
David Pastrnak opened the scoring for the Bruins with 6:51 remaining in the period. The Sabres erased the deficit thanks to a successful penalty kill punctuated by a highlight-reel pad save from Luukkonen, which preceded Thompson's tying goal with 3:47 on the clock.
Tuch poked the puck free from Connor Clifton onto the stick of Jeff Skinner, who found Thompson to the left of the net. Thompson waited for Jeremy Swayman to drop to the ice, then reached around the Bruins goaltender and buried his 27th goal of the season.
Video: BUF@BOS: Thompson puts the Sabres on the board
PERIOD 2
Ilya Lyubushkin delivered a stretch pass to set up Tuch's breakaway goal, which put the Sabres ahead just 2:03 into the period.
Video: BUF@BOS: Tuch is alone in front of the net and scores
The Bruins outshot the Sabres 10-6 in the period, but the Sabres weathered the pressure defensively. They tied up sticks and cleared rebounds in front of Luukkonen and blocked eight shots to carry their one-goal lead into the second intermission.
PERIOD 3
Bergeron buried a one-timer on the power play 5:16 into the period to even the score, 2-2. Marchand added another Bruins goal on a breakaway to take the lead with 7:35 remaining.
The Sabres remained undeterred, which was evident in their approach to the late 5-on-3 penalty kill. The Sabres managed to spend time in the Boston end, including one near-chance for Thompson.
"I love the fact that we were confident in taking charge, looking to take charge," Granato said. "That's significant."
The kill set the stage for Cozens' tying goal:
Video: BUF@BOS: Cozens tallies a goal to tie the game
OVERTIME
The two teams traded chances in overtime with both teams registering one shot. Tuch's goal came with 1:07 to play in the extra period.
1.Luukkonen made 37 saves for his fourth straight win. He stopped 14 high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.
2.Luukkonen admitted the win felt a bit extra special given the circumstances - playing a division rival that happens to be the NHL's top team in a hostile environment.
"Everybody knows how good they have been at home," he said. "It's a 1 p.m. game on New Year's Eve so it's going to be a full building in kind of, you could say, a tough place to play. I feel like guys are really confident right now and it shows. It's kind of just handling that and as we always talk about, don't let the highs be too high or the lows be too low."
3. Peyton Krebs delivered a loud hit on former Sabres forward Taylor Hall during the second period, then recorded his first NHL fight against Clifton. Krebs riled up his teammates on the bench as he left for the dressing room after the fight.
Tweet from @BuffaloSabres: Atta guy, Krebsy 💥 pic.twitter.com/3Pj9eeqKEU
"That was unreal," Cozens said. "I know he's been wanting one for a little bit here. He found someone that wanted to go with him. That's awesome. It shows a lot. … That's big balls on him and gets us fired up, for sure."
4.Skinner has a point in each of his last 10 games, with 17 points (8+9) in that span.
5. Tuch's overtime game-winning goal is the second such goal of his career. It also marks the second time this season he has recorded a career-high four points in a single game.
The Sabres open the New Year in Ottawa on Saturday. Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7 on MSG and WGR 550.