Jiri Kulich scored in overtime to give the visiting Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 come-from-behind win against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Kulich collected a rebound in the bottom of the right circle and beat a sprawled John Gibson at 4:00 of the extra frame.

Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist, Jason Zucker scored and Owen Power logged three assists for the Sabres, who are 6-2-0 in their past eight games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves.

Drew Helleson and Isac Lundestrom scored while Gibson made 29 saves for the Ducks, who had their three-game winning streak end.

Trailing 2-0, Buffalo scored twice in 50 seconds late in the second period to pull even.

Tuch deflected Power’s point shot, sending it through Gibson’s pads before it stopped loose in the crease. Lundestrom tried to clear the puck but knocked it off Gibson and into the net.

Zucker then tied it 2-2 with 33 seconds remaining in the period. Power got his stick on a pass attempt by Anaheim’s Sam Colangelo, deflecting it out of the zone for Zucker to collect and break in, slipping a wrist shot five-hole.

The Sabres controlled the play early, outshooting Anaheim 3-0 and holding a 6-0 edge in shot attempts by the four-minute mark.

However, it was the hosts who got on the board first, connecting on their first shot on goal.

Trevor Zegras took a pass from the neutral zone to above the right circle, holding onto the puck and waiting before feeding Helleson above the slot for a snap shot that beat a screened Luukkonen glove side at 4:02 for a 1-0 lead.

It was a slow start to the second period for both sides, with the Ducks putting up just two shots through the first 10 minutes, while the Sabres didn’t get their first shot on goal until there was 9:27 remaining.

Lundestrom made it 2-0 seconds after a Ducks power play expired, tipping Ross Johnston’s shot from the right wall over Luukkonen at 14:07.

–Field Level Media

Rangers coach Peter Laviolette has seen his team steal wins and points with inferior performances at times, but he was blunt when he said New York was outworked in a one-goal loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night.

New York is coming off one of its worst efforts this season as it ends a four-game Western trip by facing the Edmonton Oilers, who are coming off a similar showing.

The Rangers are 2-1-0 on the trip, which started with a 2-0 win at Seattle on Sunday and then included a 4-3 victory at Vancouver on Tuesday. New York allowed only 24 shots on goal against the Canucks, but things were vastly different in Calgary.

New York took a 3-2 loss that could have been more lopsided since it conceded a season-worst 49 shots on goal, surpassing the 46 it allowed in a 5-3 loss to the Washington Capitals on Oct. 29.

The Rangers surrendered at least 40 shots on goal for the third time, something they did eight times en route to claiming the Presidents’ Trophy last season.

New York also allowed at least 35 shots for the sixth time but fell to 4-2-0 in those instances.

The Rangers gave up a goal in the opening period when they were outshot 20-5 and yielded the second tally before Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle scored 16 seconds apart late in the second period. The tying goal occurred after Laviolette moved Kaapo Kakko to center on a line with Cuylle and Jimmy Vesey in the latter portion of the second.

“They came out hard,” Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren said. “They were all over us. They were forechecking us hard. We didn’t do a good job of getting the puck out, and when we did get it out, we weren’t getting it in. We were turning it over and they were coming right back at us. It’s definitely not the way we want to start the game. It’s tough to come back like that.”

The underwhelming effort continued New York’s inconsistencies after it scored 31 goals in its 5-0-1 start. The Rangers are 7-5-0 since and have been held to two or fewer goals six times in that span.

Edmonton is 10-6-2 since dropping its opening three games and is 4-2-1 over its past seven.

The Oilers fell to 4-6-1 on home ice with a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

Leon Draisaitl scored 27 seconds into the contest, but Edmonton gave up two straight goals for a 2-1 deficit early in the second period. After Edmonton’s Corey Perry netted the tying goal, the Wild scored twice more in the second period.

“I don’t think we’ve played close to our potential many nights,” Edmonton defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “We know we played a lot better hockey (at our peak) last year, but in order to get there, it starts with the work. It starts with the defensive side of the game.”

The defending Western Conference champions continued to experience defensive struggles as they allowed at least four goals for the eighth time. The Oilers are 0-7-1 in those games because of an offense that has scored three or fewer 13 times.

“We have to find ways to score goals,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “You need skill to do that, but you also need some grit, simplifying your game and going hard to the net.”

The Oilers are 7-2-1 in their past 10 meetings with the Rangers.

–Field Level Media

Kyle Connor had an assist and an empty-net goal in the Winnipeg Jets’ 4-1 road victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

Nino Niederreiter, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Gabriel Vilardi also scored for the Jets, who are on a two-game winning streak.

Winnipeg leads the NHL in wins (17) and points (34).

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 17 of 18 shots for his league-leading 14th win. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is enjoying another superb season, with a .924 save percentage in 16 games.

Michael Bunting scored the Penguins’ only goal, and Tristan Jarry stopped 26 of 29 shots.

Pittsburgh has just one win in its last six games (1-3-2). The Penguins had a season-low 18 shots on Friday, topping their previous low of 19 shots in Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Winnipeg struck quickly at 1:22 of the first period after Evgeni Malkin’s turnover. Malkin made an awkward clearance attempt on a puck that deflected off the end boards, and Niederreiter capitalized on the loose puck in front of the Penguins’ net. It was his eighth goal of the season.

On his 32nd birthday, Namestnikov celebrated with a goal 4:53 into the second period. The Jets’ three-on-two rush led to an initial shot from Namestnikov that was stopped, but he converted his own rebound for his sixth goal of the season.

The Jets added a dagger on the power play late in the period. Vilardi converted a quick wrist shot from the slot just 59 seconds before the second intermission.

The Jets were 1-for-3 on the power play on Friday and lead the NHL in power-play percentage at 35.6.

Pittsburgh’s frustration over the first 40 minutes emerged in a rare fight from Sidney Crosby, who dropped the gloves with Connor near the start of the third period. Crosby’s fight seemed to spark his team, leading to a more competitive effort from the Penguins in the final frame.

Bunting’s power-play goal, his fourth goal of the season, got the Penguins on the board at the 5:49 mark. This was all Pittsburgh could muster, however, as Connor sealed the game with an empty-net goal 18:49 into the third period.

–Field Level Media

The St. Louis Blues figured out a way Thursday night to recover from some familiar third-period doldrums. The New York Islanders are growing increasingly frustrated with their inability to do the same thing.

The Islanders strive to snap a discouraging skid as the visiting Blues aim to build a winning streak when the teams meet Saturday night in Elmont, N.Y.

Both teams were off Friday after playing Thursday. New York squandered a third-period lead in a 2-1 loss to the host Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis outlasted the visiting San Jose Sharks, 3-2, in a shootout.

The Islanders nursed a 1-0 lead for more than 38 minutes between the first and third periods Thursday. But Jonatan Berggren tied the score with 4:46 left and Lucas Raymond collected the game-winner with 52 seconds remaining as the Red Wings handed New York its third straight loss (0-2-1).

The Islanders led in the third period of all three defeats and have squandered a third-period lead in five of its 13 losses this season.

“It’s just not good enough,” Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson said, per Newsday. “We’ve got to find a way to close it out. We definitely can’t afford to not even get a point out of it.”

The Islanders entered Friday as one of six teams within three points of the Boston Bruins, who occupy the second wild-card spot with 21 points.

“We have to figure out a way to execute under the kind of pressure that protecting a late lead requires,” Islanders right winger Kyle Palmieri said.

The Blues appeared as if they might be headed for a similarly difficult defeat when the Sharks’ Alexander Wennberg tied the score on an extra-attacker goal with nine seconds left. That came after Jordan Kyrou gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead with his sixth goal of the season 11:47 into the second period.

“That’s hockey, they’ve got six guys on the ice trying to put the puck in the net, so things are going to happen,” said center Nathan Walker, who scored 11 seconds into the game for the Blues.

St. Louis also squandered third-period leads against Boston and Buffalo earlier this month before giving up three goals in the final period against Minnesota in a 4-2 loss Tuesday.

The Blues were outshot 2-1 in overtime on Thursday before Jordan Binnington stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout. The win was Binnington’s 151st for the Blues, tying Mike Liut for the franchise record.

Jake Neighbours scored on the third shot of the shootout to give the Blues their fourth victory in five games decided in overtime or beyond this season.

“I thought we were great on the bench,” Blues coach Drew Bannister said. “Their focus was on getting the two points and not what had just happened. That’s a step in the right direction for us right now moving forward.”

Kyrou leads St. Louis with 18 points and is tied with Neighbours for the team lead in goals. Palmieri paces the Islanders with 16 points. He, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson each have seven goals to lead New York.

–Field Level Media

The Columbus Blue Jackets continue their four-game homestand on Saturday with a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Blue Jackets come into the contest against their Metropolitan Division foe having won three of their last four games, including a 7-6 overtime victory over Tampa Bay on Thursday. Columbus’ offense has picked up the pace recently, scoring 18 goals in the three most recent wins.

That recent surge, coming on the heels of a six-game losing streak (0-5-1), has helped the Blue Jackets escape the basement in the Metropolitan. While now tied with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia for sixth place with 18 points, Columbus has played fewer games than either of those teams and has more wins in regulation (seven versus four each). The Blue Jackets are also a point away from catching the fifth-place New York Islanders.

Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski enjoyed a career night against the Lightning on Thursday. The nine-year pro scored the game-winning goal to secure his first career five-point game (two goals, three assists).

The 27-year-old leads the team with 13 assists and is tied with Sean Monahan for a team-best 19 points.

Columbus coach Dean Evason noted that Werenski has taken on more of a leadership role this season as both captain Boone Jenner and alternate Erik Gudbranson are out indefinitely with shoulder injuries. Jenner has yet to play this season, and Gudbranson was lost after just three games.

“I’ve seen a lot of hockey players,” Evason said of Werenski. “I don’t think I’ve seen one like him. Honestly, he’s amazing. He just does it all. When he wants the puck, he goes and gets it. When he wants to defend, he defends.”

Carolina currently leads the Metropolitan division with 28 points. The Hurricanes are tied with the New Jersey Devils, who have needed three more games to get to 28 but defeated the visiting Hurricanes 4-2 on Thursday. The Devils scored twice in a 3:30 third-period span to end Carolina’s three-game winning streak.

“We hung around, that’s basically all we did tonight,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said after the loss. “And then we got back in the game, and then we kind of have a gaffe, a game-winning goal behind the net. You’re not going to win when you do that kind of stuff.”

Andrei Svechnikov and Jack Roslovic scored for Carolina. Roslovic’s goal was his 11th of the season, tying him with Martin Necas for the team lead. Necas, who saw his 13-game point streak end in Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Philadelphia, finished with an assist. The 25-year-old Czech Republic native ranks third in the league with 31 points entering play Friday.

Also on Thursday, Carolina announced goalie Frederik Andersen would have knee surgery that will likely keep him out for up to 12 weeks. Andersen has a 1.49 goals-against average and a 3-1 record in four games this season. He missed more than half of last season due to blood clots but returned in time for the postseason.

Pyotr Kochetkov has handled most of the duties between the pipes for Carolina this season. The 25-year-old is 10-2-0 with a 2.30 GAA and .907 save percentage.

–Field Level Media

Since returning to the United States after being swept in the NHL’s Global Series, the Dallas Stars have found their game and will look to add another win when they face the host Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

Dallas is 5-4 in November but has won five of its last seven following consecutive losses to the defending champion Florida Panthers in Finland to start the month.

On Wednesday, Dallas’ offensive attack unleashed five goals on the visiting San Jose Sharks in a 5-2 victory. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period but coach Pete DeBoer’s bunch scored twice in the second and twice again in the third for its fourth win in the last five contests.

“We all felt good,” said Wyatt Johnston, one of five different Stars to find the net in the win. “It’s important for everyone to contribute and help chip in obviously.”

Dallas lost defenseman Nils Lundkvist to injury early in the second period but held strong for the win.

“The nice thing is we have four veteran defensemen (back there) … there was no panic,” DeBoer said of Esa Lindell, Matt Dumba, Miro Heiskanen and Ilya Lyubushkin.

The Stars have won just four of the past 14 matchups between the clubs (4-8-2) since the Lightning beat Dallas in the Stanley Cup Final in the COVID-19 impacted 2019-20 season.

Tampa Bay faced Columbus in its last game on Thursday. Unlike Dallas, the Lightning couldn’t get past one of the worst teams in their conference.

Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and former Columbus forward Cam Atkinson notched goals in the first 12 minutes to build a 3-1 lead after the first period.

The Blue Jackets rallied for four goals in the second period to the Lightning’s two, and the teams traded goals in the third to finish 6-6 after regulation. Zach Werenski tallied a career-high five points, capped off by the overtime game-winner from the high slot.

Tampa Bay’s 7-6 loss to Columbus, tied for last in the Metropolitan Division entering Friday’s action, was tough to take after rallying for a 3-2 overtime win in Pittsburgh to open the two-game road trip.

Nikita Kucherov (900th career point), Atkinson (first Lightning goal, 250th career) and rookie Gage Goncalves (first NHL point) did manage to reach milestones in the point-earning loss, but the setback prevented a season-high four-game winning streak and left Jon Cooper wondering about the group’s will to win in Ohio’s capital.

“We played the game in quicksand,” Cooper said. “There’s a recipe for what we need to do and (Thursday), we didn’t follow it. Our mind wasn’t in it today for whatever reason.

“Give a ton of credit to Columbus. They didn’t care they were down 3-0. They were like, ‘This is a 60-minute game. We’ll see what we can do to win this.’ Clearly, we didn’t have that same mindset and, in the end, probably the right team won.”

Cooper scratched forward Nick Paul (undisclosed injury) before the match and said the Mississauga, Ontario, native will be reevaluated in Florida.

A 13-point producer through 17 games, the 29-year-old Paul has set a pace for the best offensive season of his career.

–Field Level Media

After winning his first game as Bruins interim coach, Joe Sacco and his team will aim for two straight victories when Boston visits Detroit on Saturday night.

Boston was saddled with a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) when Jim Montgomery was fired on Tuesday. With Sacco in charge behind the bench, the Bruins eked out a 1-0 win over visiting Utah on Thursday.

“[It felt] pretty good, I’m not going to lie to you,” Sacco said. “To get our guys to get a win, too, was even more important. We feel better about ourselves, and I think how we went about the game (Thursday) was like a business-like approach.

“I thought that we had a couple of individuals that really brought the energy to our group (Thursday) to lift the bench at certain moments during the game, and just a good effort all around from our guys.”

Joonas Korpisalo recorded the shutout by making 22 saves. Elias Lindholm’s second-period goal held up during Boston’s fifth power play of the contest.

“I think it’s a good confidence thing,” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said. “Knowing that, you know, we can play the right way and it is in here, and we can respond. You still hate the situation that had to arise for us to respond that way. It was a good game, but it’s one game.”

Boston put together two shutout victories at the start of the month, then went 2-3-2 prior to Montgomery’s dismissal. Sacco, who had been the team’s associate coach this season, went 130-134-30 as Colorado’s head coach from 2009-13.

Detroit also ended a three-game slide (0-2-1) in dramatic fashion on Thursday. Lucas Raymond scored with 51.1 seconds remaining to give the Red Wings a 2-1 home win over the New York Islanders.

Dylan Larkin dug the puck out of the boards and Raymond one-timed a shot from the left circle past Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin. It was just his third goal of the season after tallying 31 in 2023-24.

“Everyone wants to score goals, right? I’m no different,” Raymond said. “But as long as we’re winning games everyone’s happy in there. Unfortunately we haven’t been doing that lately so it was a really big night for us. It’s something to build off of. It’s obviously just a start but it’s always nice to get one at home.”

The Red Wings were in danger of getting shut out at home for the second consecutive time until Jonatan Berggren scored with 4:46 left.

“Certainly not ideal to have to score two in the last five minutes to find a win but I felt we got what we deserved,” coach Derek Lalonde said.

Seeing Raymond, who skates on the first line, fire in the game-winner was a bonus. His other two goals this season came in losses.

“It’s different for a goal scorer when it hits the back of the net and that was a big-time shot,” Lalonde said. “I give both those goals, those finishes, a lot of credit because Sorokin looked like the top goalie in the league. He just had that look to him. I thought it would take a ugly one or a good bounce but it didn’t. We had two good finishes.”

Saturday’s matchup continues a stretch in which the Red Wings play five of six on home ice, then head to Boston for a rematch on Dec. 3.

–Field Level Media