Clayton Keller’s game-winner 47 seconds into overtime lifted the Utah Mammoth past the host Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Tuesday.
Keller finished with two points as he recorded the primary assist on Nick Schmaltz’s third-period goal. John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev notched assists as Utah erased a two-game losing streak.
Karel Vejmelka made 17 saves for Utah, and he also got the secondary assist on Keller’s goal after his save on an Alex Tuch shot set up the counterattack.
Keller got the puck from Sergachev and skated with it across the ice. In the attack zone, he circled near the blue line to shake Tuch and skated toward Lyon to beat him in the low slot.
The Sabres have played in five straight overtime games, winning just once in that run.
Noah Ostlund scored his first career goal just hours after the Sabres recalled the 21-year-old center from AHL affiliate Rochester. Isak Rosen got an assist in his second game this season.
Alex Lyon stopped 33 Mammoth shots as the Sabres’ goaltender lost in overtime for the third straight game.
All the scoring took place after the second intermission. Schmaltz put Utah up first with 16:02 left in regulation, beating Tuch on his glove side as the puck got through the narrow gap between the netminder and the post.
Keller got the primary assist, passing the puck from the left faceoff circle to his teammate skating into the right circle.
It stayed that way for almost four minutes until Ostlund — called up after Buffalo placed Zach Benson on injured reserve earlier in the day — made the best of his second chance.
Ostlund’s first shot on Vejmelka went high off the glass, but Rosen swatted it down and off the crossbar, allowing Ostlund to tie the game with 12:10 remaining.
Tuesday’s game marked the first time the two teams played each other since Utah traded Josh Doan and Michael Kesselring to Buffalo for JJ Peterka. Buffalo fans booed Peterka, who tied for second on the Sabres last season with 68 points, when he handled the puck.
Buffalo played without three key forwards. Besides Benson, Jason Zucker and Jiri Kulich also missed the game due to health reasons.
–Field Level Media
