Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Charles Alexis Legault all had a goal and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 on Saturday night at Raleigh, N.C.
Eric Robinson and Seth Jarvis also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won three games in a row. Robinson was in his first game since a six-game absence with an injury. Legault posted his first two career points in the third period. Pyotr Kochetkov made 19 saves.
Owen Power, Alex Tuch and Tage Thompson scored for the Sabres, but Buffalo has lost two straight in regulation following a seven-game points streak. Alex Lyon made 29 saves.
The Hurricanes struck first five minutes into the game when Svechnikov led a rush from the defensive zone, then found Aho on the left side for a one-timer.
Power pulled the Sabres even 8:18 into the game on one of the team’s six first-period shots.
Then Svechnikov converted on a second-period power play for his fourth goal of the season. That was Carolina’s fifth power-play goal in 39 opportunities this season.
Kotkaniemi scored with 8:21 left in the second, with defenseman Joel Nystrom notching his first career NHL point with an assist. He was in his eighth game.
The Hurricanes outshot the Sabres 25-11 through two periods.
The Hurricanes wasted no time in extending their lead, with Robinson scoring 29 seconds into the third period. Legault joined Nystrom with his first NHL point.
But Tuch and Thompson both notched their sixth goals of the season, pulling the Sabres within 4-3 with more than 13 minutes remaining.
Jarvis had an empty-net goal with 2:04 remaining for his team-best ninth goal and Legault followed with another.
The Sabres were without defenseman Ramus Dahlin, who returned to Sweden to be with his fiance after she had a major medical procedure. As a result, Jacob Bryson was in the Buffalo lineup for the first time since Oct. 18.
–Field Level Media
