The San Jose Sharks and the Sabres each played beyond regulation on Monday ahead of their matchup in Buffalo on Tuesday.
The Sharks snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-5-3) with a 3-2 shootout win over the host Toronto Maple Leafs, while the Sabres dropped a 4-3 road overtime decision to the Montreal Canadiens.
It was San Jose’s first victory since Jan. 27, a 2-1 home win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sharks, who haven’t won two in a row since early January, own the NHL’s worst record with 41 points.
Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund scored in the four-round shootout for San Jose after the Sharks beat Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz twice in the third period to tie the game 2-2. Defenseman Jack Thompson (2:23) and Toffoli (10:10) got the third-period goals.
San Jose’s Alexander Wennberg had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 25 shots. Georgiev denied Maple Leafs stars Mitch Marner, captain Auston Matthews and John Tavares in the shootout and was beaten only by William Nylander.
“It was amazing,” Wennberg said. “It’s been a few games where we’ve been really close to winning, so right now to find a way to win, being down a few goals and bouncing back, it’s a great feeling for the team.”
Rookie center Macklin Celebrini played after sustaining a lower-body injury in San Jose’s 5-3 loss to the host Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Celebrini and Eklund are tied for the Sharks’ points lead with 44 (excluding Mikael Granlund, who had 45 points before he was dealt to the Dallas Stars last month). Celebrini has 18 goals and 26 assists in 50 games, and Eklund 12 goals and 32 assists in 57 games. Toffoli is the club’s leading goal-scorer with 23.
The Sabres, who are last in the Eastern Conference with 54 points, are coming off their third loss in a row (0-2-1).
Buffalo rallied for a point on Monday, erasing a 3-0 second-period deficit. Alex Tuch scored in the middle period and Tage Thompson and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin got goals in the third. Dahlin’s tally with 1:01 left in regulation and goalie James Reimer pulled for the extra attacker tied the game and sent it into overtime.
Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson scored 1:21 into the extra period.
Two of Montreal’s regulation goals came on the power play, and the other was short-handed.
“Special teams, just in general, let us down tonight,” Thompson said. “We had plenty of chances on the power play to get back in it, even take a lead, kind of put them on their heels. We just kept giving them momentum every time they would kill it. And obviously the PK, they get a couple early there and it’s tough when they do that, especially in this building, gets the fans behind them. ”
Buffalo’s JJ Peterka had two assists in the defeat, and Reimer made 16 saves.
Tuch has logged goals in four consecutive games and six of the past seven contests. He has 23 for the season to go along with 24 assists in 59 games. Thompson, who has played 53 games, is Buffalo’s leader in goals (29) and points (52).
–Field Level Media
