At the Horn | Sabres 3 - Wild 2 (OT)

Dylan Cozens scored the tying goal with 36.6 seconds remaining and Henri Jokiharju scored in overtime to clinch a 3-2 win for the Buffalo Sabres over the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

The two teams entered the third period tied 0-0. Casey Mittelstadt opened the scoring 39 seconds into the final period, only for Minnesota to answer with goals from Joel Eriksson Ek and Declan Chisholm.

Cozens battled in front of the Minnesota net to bury the rebound off a Tage Thompson shot for the tying goal. Jokiharju scored on a one-timer from the slot to end the game 1:29 into the extra period.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned to the lineup after missing Thursday’s game against Florida with a lower-body injury and made 30 saves.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 3, 0:39 – Casey Mittelstadt from Henri Jokiharju (1-0, BUF)

The two teams were held scoreless for the opening 40 minutes thanks to the stellar play of Luukkonen and his Wild counterpart, Filip Gustavsson. The two goaltenders traded saves to start the game, including one sequence when Luukkonen robbed Marcus Johansson with a sliding pad save only for Gustavsson to turn away Dylan Cozens on an odd-man rush seconds later.

Mittelstadt finally broke through during the opening minute of the third period. He caught a pass from Jokiharju in the neutral zone, carried the puck over the blue line on a 2-on-1 rush, and looked to Dylan Cozens on his left to sell the pass before burying a shot to the far side for his 13th goal of the season.

Period 3, 4:02 – Joel Eriksson Ek from Kirill Kaprizov (1-1)

Buffalo’s lead was short-lived. The Wild tied the game less than three minutes later thanks to the neutral-zone effort from Kaprizov, who forced a turnover and drove the puck low before centering a pass to set up Eriksson Ek with an open net.

Period 3, 11:21 (PP) – Declan Chisholm from Marcus Johansson and Marco Rossi (2-1, MIN)

Connor Clifton was assessed a double-minor penalty for high-sticking, leaving the Sabres shorthanded for four minutes. They came within 16 seconds of killing the Minnesota power play, but Chisholm sent a long shot through traffic off a faceoff win to put the Wild ahead.

Period 3, 36.6 – Dylan Cozens from Jordan Greenway from Tage Thompson (2-2)

With Luukkonen pulled for an extra attacker, Cozens battled alongside Greenway - returning to Xcel Energy Center for the first time since being acquired from the Wild last March - in front of Gustavsson as Thompson lofted a shot on goal from the point.

The rebound fell in front of Gustavsson, and Cozens was able to jam it in for the tying goal.

OT, 1:29 – Henri Jokiharju unassisted (3-2, BUF)

Jokiharju evaded pressure from Wild forward Matt Boldy along the boards and passed back to Alex Tuch before peeling into the slot. Tuch sent a return pass to Jokiharju, who scored the first overtime goal of his career.

PHOTO GALLERY

UP NEXT

The Sabres return home to host the Anaheim Ducks on Monday afternoon. It will be Youth Hockey Day at KeyBank Center, celebrating youth hockey in Western New York and Southern Ontario.

Tickets are available here.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+  begins at 12 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 12:30. Fans can also stream MSG on Fubo.

Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.