NEW YORK — Rasmus Dahlin found the back of the net just 26 seconds into the match, leading to a decisive 6-1 victory for the Buffalo Sabres over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen played a solid game in net, making 25 saves for Buffalo.
The Sabres saw a remarkable second period, with Dylan Cozens, Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway, and Sam Lafferty all scoring to propel the team to their second win in the last six away games. Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers’ goaltender, struggled, allowing five goals on only 12 shots before being replaced in the second period.
Buffalo added a power-play goal in the third period from Zach Benson, while the Rangers were able to get one goal on the board as Will Cuylle ended Luukkonen’s shutout attempt early in the final frame. Ryan McLeod had a productive night, registering two assists as the Sabres set a new season-high in goals.
Shesterkin, who had begun the game with a promising 6-2-1 record, was replaced by Jonathan Quick after Lafferty’s goal midway through the second period. Quick managed to stop nine shots during his time on the ice. Prior to this game, the Rangers had successfully won three out of their last four matches.
Key takeaways from the game underscore the Sabres’ impressive offensive performance, particularly following their strong 5-1 win over Ottawa just two nights prior. Conversely, this loss marked only the second regulation defeat at home for the Rangers this season.
A critical moment in the game came early in the second period when Luukkonen made a remarkable save against Mika Zibanejad during a Rangers power play. He followed this up with another significant stop on Chris Kreider at 6:31 of the same period.
In other noteworthy statistics, Rangers forward Artemi Panarin contributed an assist to Cuylle’s goal, making him the top point-scorer for the Rangers with 19 points — including nine goals — through the first twelve games of the season.
Looking ahead, the Sabres will face off against the Calgary Flames on Saturday, while the Rangers will travel to take on the Detroit Red Wings that same evening.