BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Jason Zucker scored the tying goal on a power play in the third period, and the Sabres got shootout goals from Jack Quinn and Alex Tuch to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Saturday night at KeyBank Center.
Tage Thompson scored his 40th of the season, becoming the eighth player in Sabres history to score 40 goals in two or more seasons, and James Reimer made 22 saves while stopping both shootout attempts he faced.
With victories in nine of the past 13 games, the Sabres have climbed out of last place and into 14th in the Eastern Conference standings, while staving off playoff elimination. With seven games remaining in the season, Buffalo now has 72 points, 11 below the Montreal Canadiens for the final wild-card playoff spot.
The Sabres host the last-place Boston Bruins on at 6 p.m. Sunday, while the Canadiens visit the Ottawa Senators. The next Sabres loss, combined with a Habs win would officially extend the NHL’s longest postseason drought to 14 seasons.
But for now, Buffalo remains in the hunt.