National Hockey League
Buffalo 3, Columbus 2
When: 5:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 30, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Francis Charron, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Ryan Jackson, Andrew Smith
Attendance: 19070

Jeff Skinner scored at 1:20 of overtime to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win against the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday evening.

Jack Quinn and Casey Mittelstadt also scored and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves for the Sabres, who have lost four of five.

Damon Severson and Adam Fantilli scored and Daniil Tarasov made 39 saves for the Blue Jackets, who had lost three of four.

Skinner scored his 15th goal of the season on a one-timer from the slot off a feed from Owen Power, who had two assists.

Severson scored his own rebound with 13 seconds left in the first period after his shot went off the skate of teammate Dmitri Voronkov, giving the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.

Buffalo outshot Columbus 12-7 in the first period.

Quinn got to a loose puck in front of the crease and scored 40 seconds into the second period to tie it 1-1.

Columbus moved back ahead 2-1 at 13:45 of the second period.

Cole Sillinger flipped the puck ahead to Justin Danforth to create a 2-on-1 rush. Danforth slid the puck over to Fantilli and the rookie scored his 11th goal of the season.

Mittelstadt scored his 10th goal of the season to tie it 2-2 at 11:52 of the third period.

Columbus turned the puck over coming through the neutral zone and Zach Benson dropped the puck for Mittelstadt, who scored with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle.

Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins did not make the trip after leaving the 6-5 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday with an illness.

Spencer Martin served as the backup.

Columbus defenseman Jake Christiansen was called up from Cleveland of the American Hockey League on Saturday and he had four blocked shots in 21:07 of his season debut.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Buffalo
Adam Fantilli 1 Points Owen Power 2
Adam Fantilli 1 Goals Casey Mittelstadt 1
Yegor Chinakhov 1 Assists Owen Power 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Daniil Tarasov .929 Save Percentage Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .900
Daniil Tarasov 39 Saves Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 18
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 20 2 0-1 1-1 2 23
Buffalo 42 3 0-1 1-1 2 31
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Sabres have a W/L % of .071 after a win and .609 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Boston. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .154 after a win and .400 after a loss.