Jiri Kulich scored in overtime to help the Buffalo Sabres beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 on Friday.
Kulich grabbed a rebound in the right circle and scored past a sprawled John Gibson at 4:00 of overtime.
Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist, Jason Zucker scored, and Owen Power got three assists for the Sabres, who have won six of their last eight games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves in goal.
Drew Helleson and Isac Lundestrom scored for the Ducks, while Gibson made 29 saves. The Ducks’ three-game winning streak ended with this loss.
Buffalo was down 2-0 but scored two quick goals in the final minutes of the second period to tie the game.
Tuch deflected Power’s shot from the blue line, sending the puck through Gibson’s pads. It then stopped in front of the net. Lundestrom tried to clear it but accidentally knocked it into the net off Gibson.
Zucker tied the game 2-2 with 33 seconds left in the period. Power deflected a pass by Anaheim’s Sam Colangelo, sending the puck out of the zone for Zucker to grab it and score with a wrist shot through Gibson’s legs.
The Sabres started strong, outshooting Anaheim 3-0 and leading 6-0 in shot attempts by the four-minute mark.
But it was the Ducks who scored first with their first shot on goal. Trevor Zegras passed from the neutral zone to Helleson above the slot. Helleson took a quick shot that beat a screened Luukkonen for a 1-0 lead at 4:02.
The second period started slowly for both teams. The Ducks only had two shots in the first 10 minutes, and the Sabres didn’t get their first shot on goal until there were 9:27 left in the period.
Lundestrom made it 2-0 for the Ducks just after a power play ended, redirecting Ross Johnston’s shot from the right side past Luukkonen at 14:07.
