Adam Lowry scored late in overtime and the Winnipeg Jets snapped their season-long four-game losing streak with Thursday night’s 3-2 road win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor also scored and Connor Hellebuyck made 28 saves for Jets, who had been 3-7-0 since winning 15 of their first 16. Lowry benefited off a two-on-none with teammate Josh Morrisey (two assists) and eventually pushed the puck past Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (28 saves) with 1:01 remaining in the extra session for the Jets, who also got two assists from Mark Scheifele while snapping a three-game road slide.
Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens scored first-period goals for the Sabres, who are 0-3-2 since winning seven of their previous nine. Buffalo is also amid an 0-2-2 rut at home.
Buffalo opened the scoring just 3:27 into the contest, and did so by snapping an 0-for-16 power-play drought. Somehow, Thompson was left alone in the circle and rang the post for his 14th goal of the season and third in the last two contests.
Winnipeg, though, got even less than a minute later. Haydn Fleury threw the puck at the net and a passing Vilardi (10 goals) redirected a piece while screening Luukkonen who didn’t see it pass by him at 4:14 of the period.
The Sabres, however, regained the lead with 8:31 remaining in the opening period. Zach Benson found a surging Cozens, who got enough of the puck to slide it by Hellebuyck.
The Jets tied it again 3:06 into the second. In the waning seconds of their own power play, Connor fired a puck that squirted past Luukkonen.
Buffalo appeared to go ahead with 2:24 left in the second period on what would have been the first career goal for Tyson Kozak, a Manitoba native who made his NHL debut Thursday. However, it was overturned via review for goaltender interference.
The Sabres played without captain Rasmus Dahlin, who is dealing with back spasms.
–Field Level Media