Thursday, February 25, 2021 07:00 PM (ET)

Pavel Zacha's OT winner lifts Devils over Sabres

Field Level Media
Feb 25, 2021

Pavel Zacha extended his point streak to eight games with two assists and the winning goal in overtime as the visiting New Jersey Devils rallied to snap a three-game skid with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

After the Sabres tied the game late in the third, Zacha ripped a successful shot off Jesper Bratt's pass for the winner just 1:17 into the extra session.

Trailing 2-1 after two periods, New Jersey took advantage of Taylor Hall's four-minute double-minor penalty early in the third.

Buffalo native Miles Wood tied it with his team-leading sixth goal in traffic at the 4:25 mark of the final frame. Then shortly after penalty expired, Nico Hischier was in the right place to slide one by Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton (21 saves) for a 3-2 lead with 13:15 left in the game.

Hall, though, got some redemption on the power play when he threw a shot on net that Sam Reinhart redirected the puck in to tie things at 3-3 with 4:30 to play in regulation.

Reinhart has four goals in his past four games.

Buffalo, which won 4-1 at New Jersey on Tuesday, played without star forward Jack Eichel, who began the day tied for the team lead with 14 points but was a late scratch because of a lower-body injury.

Hutton replaced Linus Ullmark (15 saves) when the starting goalie left after the first period with an apparent injury.

New Jersey recorded nine shots on goal through the first seven minutes of the game, but Buffalo struck first when Riley Sheahan's back-hander from the far circle made its way past Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood (29 saves) at 6:28.

The Devils equalized 5:27 into the second period when Bratt weaved his way through traffic and beat Hutton for his first goal of the season.

Buffalo, though, regained its lead on the power play with just under 12 minutes to go in the second. Casey Mittelstadt's first goal of the season came on an easy push of an Eric Staal pass -- marking the fifth straight contest the Sabres scored on a man-advantage unit that entered Thursday tied with Chicago for the best in the NHL at 33.3 percent.

--Field Level Media

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