Zach Benson broke a tie early in the third period, and the Buffalo Sabres won their ninth straight game, 4-2, against the host St. Louis Blues on Monday.
Noah Ostlund, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs scored, and Alex Lyon made 16 saves for the Sabres.
Brayden Schenn and Jimmy Snuggerud scored for the Blues. Joel Hofer made 30 saves.
Ostlund gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 2:19 of the first period. Josh Norris intercepted a pass attempt by Logan Mailloux inside the St. Louis blue line and took it to the left circle before sending a pass through the slot to Ostlund, who buried a one-timer from low in the right circle.
Schenn tied it 1-1 at 5:08. The puck bounced through defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Mattias Samuelsson just inside the zone, and Otto Stenberg dropped it back for Schenn. The Blues captain took it to the left circle and fired a wrist shot that beat Lyon stick side.
Snuggerud put the hosts ahead three minutes later. He won a battle in the corner and sent it to Robby Fabbri on the back door. Lyon held firm on Fabbri’s attempt, but Snuggerud gathered the rebound and tucked the puck into an open hole at the left post to make it 2-1 at 8:09.
Tuch appeared to tie it four minutes into the second period, but the goal was waved off for a distinct kicking motion and the call stood after review.
He got it back later in the frame. Samuelsson led a rush up the ice along the left side, carrying the puck across the blue line before feeding Tuch, who snapped it from the right circle off the far post and in, pulling Buffalo even 2-2 at 15:17.
Benson put the Sabres back in front at 1:46 of the third period. Ryan McLeod sent a no-look backhand feed from the corner to the front of the net. Jack Quinn got a piece of it to deflect it up, and Benson batted it inside the right post.
Krebs scored an empty-net goal at 18:44 to seal the 4-2 win.
–Field Level Media
