Tage Thompson broke a tie with 12 seconds left in the third period to give the visiting Buffalo Sabres a 6-5 comeback win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
Thompson broke his stick on a shot from the left circle during a power play, the puck bouncing off the end boards and hitting Chicago goalie Kevin Lankinen’s skate before rolling into the net.
The Blackhawks led 4-0 early in the second before the Sabres rallied.
Victor Olofsson had two goals and an assist while Thompson and Alex Tuch each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres, who are 4-0-2 in their past six games. Vinnie Hinostroza and Kyle Okposo added goals and Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens each had two assists.
Buffalo goalie Dustin Tokarski made 16 saves.
Alex DeBrincat notched a goal and an assist and Jonathan Toews, Sam Lafferty, Calvin de Haan and Seth Jones also scored for the Blackhawks, who blew a multi-goal lead and lost for the second straight game.
Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik each had two assists, and Lankinen made 31 saves.
de Haan gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 7:53 of the first period. Taylor Raddysh faked a shot from the slot before dishing to an open de Haan at the right faceoff dot.
Lafferty made it 2-0 at 13:44 of the first when he tipped a point shot from former Sabre Jake McCabe.
Toews extended it to 3-0 on the power play, with a drag around defenseman Mattias Samuelsson before backhanding it stick side over Tokarski’s arm at 16:55 of the first.
Seth Jones pushed the gap to 4-0 at 1:21 of the second period when DeBrincat found him streaking into the slot uncovered.
Olofsson got the Sabres on the board at 4:50 of the middle period, rifling a one-timer from the right circle on a power play.
Olofsson narrowed it to 4-2 just 5 1/2 minutes later. Jeff Skinner’s backhand feed from behind the net hit Strome’s skate before landing on Olofsson’s stick in the left circle.
Okposo brought Buffalo to within one at 14:32 of the second. Cozens’ shot deflected off his skate and then off the skate of Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson before going past Lankinen’s right pad.
Hinostroza tied it 4-4 at 2:39 of the third period, cleaning up a rebound of a Rasmus Dahlin point shot from in front.
DeBrincat put Chicago in front 5-4 on a power play at 10:56, sneaking a shot short side from the left circle.
Tuch tied it 5-5 at 17:46, taking a saucer feed from Olofsson at the front of the net.
–Field Level Media