Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs (19) is congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of Saturday’s game in San Jose, Calif.
AP Photo
By JOSH DUBOW
AP Sports Writer
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Alex Tuch scored a short-handed goal early in the third period to give Buffalo its first lead and the Sabres beat the San Jose Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night.
Tuch intercepted a pass in his defensive zone and beat Mackenzie Blackwood on a breakaway for his third short-handed goal of the season. That gave Buffalo a come-from-behind win and spoiled the night for the sellout crowd that turned out to watch Joe Thornton get his No. 19 jersey retired.
Dylan Cozens scored earlier in the third to tie the game and Peyton Krebs also scored for Buffalo. Rasmus Dahlin iced it with an empty-netter.
James Reimer made 31 saves in his first game in San Jose since leaving the Sharks following the 2022-23 season.
Fabian Zetterlund and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks, who have only one win in their last seven games.
Blackwood made 27 saves for San Jose.
Takeaways
Sabres: Buffalo rallied for the win a night after erasing a two-goal deficit to beat Anaheim in overtime.
Sharks: San Jose was let down by its power play, going 0 for 5 and allowing the short-handed goal. The Sharks had three power plays in the third, including 19 seconds of a two-man advantage.
Key moment
The Thornton tributes carried over to the game. Zetterlund stroked an imaginary beard and pointed to the Thornton jersey in the rafters after he scored. Krebs pointed to the 19 on the back of his jersey after his goal.
Key stat
After winning games in Los Angeles and Anaheim earlier in this road trip, the Sabres completed the rare California sweep. The only other time Buffalo won road games at San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles in the same season came in the 2011-12 season.
Up Next
Sabres host Minnesota on Wednesday night.
FRIDAY
KULICH SINKS DUCKS IN OT
By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Jiri Kulich scored with 59.4 seconds remaining in overtime and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 Friday night.
Anaheim goaltender John Gibson stopped Buffalo defensemen Owen Power on a 2-on-1 breakaway, but Kulich put the rebound into the upper right corner of the net for his second goal of the season and snap the Ducks three-game winning streak.
Peyton Krebs and Jason Zucker scored for Buffalo, which has won two straight and three of its last four. Power had two assists and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves.
See SABRES, Page B2
Anaheim’s goals were scored by Drew Helleson and Isac Lundestrom. Gibson stopped 31 shots.
Key moment
Krebs and Zucker scored in a 50-second span late in the second period to even it at 2-all. It was the sixth time Buffalo has scored twice within a minute. The Capitals, Canucks, Hurricanes and Golden Knights have done it seven times while the Kings have also accomplished it six times.
Zucker, who scored with 33 seconds remaining, has goals in two straight games. Alex Tuch, who had the first assist on Krebs’ goal, has a point in five straight (one goal, six assists).
Key stat
Buffalo had its seven-game, power-play goal streak snapped. It was the longest run of any team this season.