BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Casey Mittelstadt scored in the fourth shootout round, and the Buffalo Sabres extended their win streak to a season-best three straight with a 3-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night.
Owen Power forced overtime by scoring with 4:05 left in regulation, and Jeff Skinner also scored for the Sabres, who had not won three straight since a 3-0 run from April 6-10. Power’s goal came in his first game after missing six with an injury to his left arm.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 30 shots through overtime, and didn’t allow a goal in the shootout round.
Martin Necas had a goal and assist and Tony DeAngelo also scored for the Hurricanes who were playing on consecutive nights following a 2-1 home loss to Dallas.
Spencer Martin stopped 30 shots through overtime, and stopped three of four shootout attempts in dropping to 3-0-1 in four starts since being claimed by Carolina off waivers last month.
Mittelstadt’s decisive goal came as he drove across the front of the net, where he briefly hesitated before snapping a shot inside the left post. Luukkonen then sealed the win by gloving a shot from Necas.
Buffalo was coming off consecutive road wins, and won only its second of seven home outings.
The Hurricanes squandered a pair of one-goal leads in dropping to 4-2 in their past six.
The teams traded goals 73 seconds apart in the third period with Necas scoring a power-play goal with 5:18 left with a one-timer from the left circle. The Sabres responded with Power tying the game by pinching into the slot and converting a pass from Peyton Krebs by snapping it inside the left post.
Tied at 1, Carolina’s Teuvo Teravainen had a go-ahead goal negated when the play was whistled due to what was ruled a hand pass by Hurricanes teammate Jesperi Kotkaniemi with 5:06 left in the second period.
Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal played in his 800th career game with the franchise, joining his brother Eric, who appeared in 909 games with Carolina. The Staals are the fourth brother combination to play at least 800 games with the same team, joining Maurice and Henri Richard (Montreal), Bobby and Dennis Hull (Chicago) and Henrik and Daniel Sedin (Vancouver).
DeAngelo opened the scoring 2:40 in by capping a series of deft passes. Necas, from behind the Sabres net, fed Michael Bunting who sent a pass through the crease to hit DeAngelo pinching in from the right point.
Buffalo tied it with Skinner’s power-play goal 6:27 into the second period. Martin stopped Dylan Cozens’ shot from the blue line but couldn’t control the rebound, which Skinner wrapped around into the open left side.
The Hurricanes play in Minnesota against the Wild on Tuesday night.
