BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Ducks scored a pair of power-play goals in the same game for the first time since mid-November, but they squandered a two-goal lead in the third period and the Buffalo Sabres held on to hand them a 3-2 loss on Tuesday night.
Henri Jokiharju scored the go-ahead goal 9:31 into the third period, capping a stretch that saw the Sabres score three times in less than eight minutes.
JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch also scored and Dylan Cozens had three assists for Buffalo. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 16 saves for the Sabres, who have won six of their past seven games.
Mason McTavish and Leo Carlsson scored while Lukas Dostal made 32 saves for the Ducks, who had won seven of their past nine but saw their five-game point streak snapped.
Playing without Trevor Zegras (three-game suspension) and goalie John Gibson (day-to-day with an upper-body injury), the Ducks were unable to capitalize on their rare power-play success – the first time they had two man-advantage goals in a game since they rallied for a 6-4 home win against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 15.
Buffalo began its rally as Owen Power passed the puck from below the goal line to Cozens, who made a quick feed from the left to the right circle for Peterka, who scored on a one-timer that cut the deficit in half 1:56 into the third.
Less than four minutes later, Tuch scored his 20th goal of the season to tie it at 2-2. His initial shot as he drove to the right post went past Dostal and continued above the goal line before Tuch came around the other side and poked the puck across the goal line.
Jokiharju, who starred for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, scored his second goal in as many games to complete the comeback. He drove to the net and beat Dostal high over his shoulder into the top right corner from the bottom of the right circle.
The Ducks seized control early thanks to a two-man advantage after Jordan Greenway was called for interference on Jacob Trouba at 1:46 of the first period. Fellow Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin joined him in the penalty box 43 seconds later after getting whistled for hooking.
It took less than 30 seconds for the Ducks to get on the scoreboard as Troy Terry dropped a pass for Jackson LaCombe at the top of the left circle before fitting the puck through a seam to McTavish at the bottom of the right circle. McTavish squeezed his one-timer between Luukkonen and the near post for a 1-0 lead at 3:05.
The Ducks went on their fourth power play of the game at 3:13 of the second period after Tuch was called for hooking McTavish.
Luukkonen made a save on Carlsson’s wrist shot from the inside edge of the right circle, but the rebound came out to the high slot for Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov, who made a touch pass to Carlsson for a one-timer from the right circle and a 2-0 lead at 4:58.
The Sabres’ comeback win was their fourth in games in which they trailed after two periods and helped them draw to within two points of Pittsburgh at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
UP NEXT
The Ducks return home to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at 7 p.m.