The Buffalo Sabres secured a 3-2 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken at KeyBank Center on March 29, ending a three-game winless streak. Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn scored in the shootout, while goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped both attempts he faced.
The result is significant for the Sabres as it allowed them to maintain their tie with Carolina atop the Eastern Conference standings at 98 points and regain a two-point lead over Tampa Bay for first place in the Atlantic Division. The team has not lost consecutive games in regulation since early December.
During Saturday’s game, Buffalo trailed by two goals midway through the second period before Rasmus Dahlin scored on a power play to reduce the deficit. Peyton Krebs later tied the game with just over eight minutes left in regulation. Luukkonen finished with 32 saves and helped backstop a perfect penalty kill after allowing two early power-play goals against Detroit on Friday.
With this victory, Buffalo improved its record to five wins without a loss in shootouts this season. Quinn has now converted four of his five shootout attempts this year, and Luukkonen remains unbeaten against seven shots faced during shootouts. Dahlin also reached his 100th career goal during the game, becoming only the second defenseman in franchise history to reach that milestone.
The Sabres will conclude their homestand on Tuesday when they face off against the Islanders.
