Tage Thompson, JJ Peterka and Ryan McLeod scored unanswered goals in the first period Sunday afternoon for the host Buffalo Sabres, who fended off a third-period comeback by the New Jersey Devils to earn a 4-3 win.

Jason Zucker scored what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the second period for the Sabres, who equaled a season high with their third straight win. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves.

Paul Cotter scored twice before Jack Hughes added a goal in the third for the Devils, who have lost 11 of 16 (5-8-3) since Dec. 28. Jake Allen made 23 saves before being pulled after the second period for Nico Daws, who stopped all seven shots he faced in the third.

The Sabres scored three times in a span of a little more than 11 minutes in the first. Thompson put Buffalo ahead by swooping into the slot and burying the rebound of a shot by Owen Power at the 8:11 mark.

Thompson collected the primary assist on Peterka’s goal with 4:10 left, when he bore in on Allen before sending a drop pass to Peterka, who collected the puck off his skate and scored as Jonas Siegenthaler tried sprawling into the crease to block the shot.

McLeod extended the lead to 3-0 by scoring a short-handed goal with 28.2 seconds left. He and Alex Tuch exchanged the puck in the Sabres’ zone before McLeod shuffled from his forehand to his backhand and tucked a shot under Allen’s legs.

Cotter began the Devils’ comeback 4:38 into the second period, when he made several jabs at the puck in the crease before it slipped over the goal line while every Sabres player on the ice fell around Luukkonen.

Zucker put the Sabres up by three goals again with 2:35 remaining when he took a feed in the crease from Thompson and beat Allen from point-blank range just before he was shoved from behind by Stefan Noesen.

Cotter scored again 18 seconds into the third when his angled shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle sailed over Luukkonen’s stick shoulder. Hughes placed a shot beneath Luukkonen’s legs for a short-handed goal at the 5:32 mark.

Daws was pulled with under a minute left but Luukkonen preserved the win by turning back a shot by Ondrej Palat with under 10 seconds left.

–Field Level Media