A strong offensive effort helped the Buffalo Sabres overcome defensive lapses and defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 in their home opener Saturday night at KeyBank Center.
Spurred on by a raucous, sold-out crowd, the Sabres controlled much of the play but had to rally from an early two-goal deficit.
Ryan Donato opened the scoring for Chicago at 7:59 of the first period. Tyler Bertuzzi doubled the lead at 11:24, tapping in a cross-ice pass from Anton Frondell.
The Sabres cut the deficit late in the period when Jack Quinn beat Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight with a wrist shot. Knight had made several impressive saves, helping Chicago stay ahead despite being outshot 13–5 in the opening period.
Buffalo kept up the pressure in the second and tied the game when Tage Thompson redirected a point shot from Louis Crevier into the Blackhawks’ net.
The Sabres controlled the puck for much of the middle frame, but another defensive lapse led to a Chicago two-on-one. Oliver Moore finished a pass from Frondell to put the Blackhawks back in front, 3–2.
Rasmus Dahlin tied the game 6:30 into the third period, taking a pass from Peyton Krebs and snapping the puck past Knight.
The Sabres took their first lead at the 13:20 mark. Owen Power set up Jiri Kulich beside the Chicago net, and Kulich tucked the puck home for the go-ahead goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and the Sabres’ defense shut down the Blackhawks the rest of the way, sealing the 4–3 win.
Buffalo’s next game is Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild.
