Postgame Report | Sabres pick up point in overtime loss to Lightning

Dylan Cozens echoed his coach when assessing the lesson from a 6-5 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning inside KeyBank Center on Monday.
"Just keep pushing," Cozens said. "Don't get scared to let them score, just keep trying to push for that next goal and don't sit back."
Cozens and Jeff Skinner scored third-period goals to put the Sabres ahead 5-3 with 5:41 remaining in regulation. Steven Stamkos answered with a goal for the Lightning 16 seconds later, then Brandon Hagel deflected a Nikita Kucherov shot on the power play to tie the score with 2:02 on the clock.
The Sabres killed off a subsequent power play and had chances to win in overtime, but it was Stamkos who ultimately netted the winner.
"This is a big learner for us," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "Big, big learner because we backed off. Backed off pressure. The psyche changed the last 10 minutes and we gave up time and space that we didn't for 50 minutes.
"You do that, you allow good players a little bit of extra time and a little bit of extra space, they're going to make plays on you. So, we tightened up and that is a very, very big learner. We had hesitation in our game and it was only the last 10 minutes."
The Sabres, who have now earned points in three of their last four games (2-1-1), finished the night with a 37-25 edge in shots. They led 22-14 in high-danger shot attempts, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn scored goals to erase a 2-0 deficit during the first period. Tyson Jost also added his first goal as a member of the Sabres while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 19 saves.
"You score five goals, you create lots of chances as we did, those are definitely positives," Granato said. "But this learner is huge. It's huge. So, you leave this game, that's going to dominate everything else.
"… It was every single guy. It was all the way to the overtime goal. I do say all this, and our guys will learn from it. I know they will. I know they're pissed off at it and they've got to own it. They will."

Video: POSTGAME: Granato

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How it happened

PERIOD 1
The Sabres outshot the Lightning 14-4 but fell behind 2-0 on goals from Brayden Point and Corey Perry.
Thompson and Quinn scored goals 59 seconds apart to pull the Sabres even ahead of intermission. Thompson struck first, deking through the blue paint before using his long reach to tuck his 14th marker of the season behind goaltender Brian Elliott.

Quinn buried a shot from JJ Peterka on the rush with 1:07 remaining in the period.

PERIOD 2
Jost turned in an active shift on the forecheck leading to his go-ahead goal, scored with 10:53 remaining in the period. Jost battled in the left corner of the offensive zone, circled around the net and into the slot for a shot attempt, and then chased down a rebound for his first goal with the Sabres.

Point scored his second power-play goal of the night to even the score with 3:34 remaining, dropping to one knee to bury a one-time shot from the high slot.
PERIOD 3
Cozens, after being stopped by Elliott on a breakaway earlier in the period, beat the Lightning goaltender to his glove side with a shot on the rush with 10:23 remaining.

Skinner added his 10th goal of the season with 5:41 remaining.

Stamkos scored to ignite the Lightning comeback with 5:24 remaining. Nikita Kucherov buried a one-timer on the power play to tie the game with 2:02 on the clock.
OT
With 2:16 left in overtime, Stamkos wired a shot past Luukkonen to give Tampa the extra point.

What we learned

1. Ilya Lyubushkin sustained an injury blocking a shot on the penalty kill with 1:09 remaining. He left the for the dressing room and did not return.
2. The Sabres earned a 10-3 edge in scoring chances with the line of Peterka, Cozens, and Quinn on the ice at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.
"I think we're all just having a lot of fun," Cozens said when asked about the success of his line. "I mean, playing in the National Hockey League at our age is fun, and doing it together and having success together, it's fun and we're enjoying it. We're all three great friends and we know we can do something special here as a line, so we're just trying to enjoy it and take it day by day."
3.Thompson scored his 14th goal of the season, moving him into a tie with Boston's David Pastrnak for fourth in the NHL.

Up next

The Sabres visit the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The game will be nationally televised on TNT beginning at 7 p.m. Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray will have the call on WGR 550.