NHL: Jason Zucker leads Sabres to pivotal win over Lightning

Jason Zucker broke a tie in the second period and added an assist as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Monday night.

Alex Tuch, Josh Norris, and Jack Quinn also scored for Buffalo (47-23-8, 102 points), ending a two-game losing streak and moving into a tie with Tampa Bay atop the Atlantic Division. Defenseman Bowen Byram contributed two assists, while goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves.

For the Lightning (48-23-6, 102 points), Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Kucherov scored twice. Defenseman Darren Raddysh added two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots. Tampa Bay had won four of its previous five games.

Zucker gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead 7:38 into the second period by tipping Byram’s shot from the right point at waist level. Quinn added an empty-net goal with 1:54 remaining.

Guentzel had tied the game 2-2 at 3:56 of the second period with a shot from the top inside edge of the left circle. Earlier, Norris gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead with 5:56 left in the first period, scoring from the right circle off a drop pass from Josh Doan.

Kucherov’s power-play goal with 8:15 remaining in the first period tied it 1-1. The goal, his 400th career score and 43rd of the season, came on a one-timer from the right circle while moving backward. Kucherov has three goals and five points in his last three games.

Tuch opened the scoring for Buffalo with his 30th goal at 5:42 of the first period. After serving a holding-the-stick penalty, he received a cross-ice pass from Byram, carried the puck into the Lightning zone, cut to the middle, and beat Vasilevskiy from the high slot.

Tampa Bay’s Pontus Holmberg left the game late in the third period after going shoulder-first into the boards following a hit from Peyton Krebs.

—Field Level Media/Reuters