NHL

Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks

· National Hockey League
Final
4 - 2

Peterka, Thompson lead Sabres past Blackhawks 4-2

Buffalo Sabres vs. Chicago Blackhawks: Game Highlights

Peterka put Buffalo ahead 3-2 with 1:23 left in the second period, beating Arvid Soderblom with a one-timer from the low right circle off Thompson's cross-ice feed. Ryan McLeod added an empty-netter with 26 seconds left.

Thompson and Beck Malenstyn connected on consecutive shots just under three minutes apart in the first period to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead.

Craig Smith scored his first two goals as a Blackhawk in the second period to tie it at 2-all. Signed as a depth forward in the offseason, the 35-year-old Smith connected from the left circle at 6:28 of the second. He swept in a rebound just over six minutes later. Lukas Reichel assisted on both goals.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves for his first win of the season.

Soderblom stopped 18 shots for Chicago in his second start.

Takeaways Peterka has come back strong in three games after sitting out two with a concussion. Buffalo forward Jordan Greenway sat out Saturday night with a lower-body injury.

Chicago forwards Patrick Maroon (undisclosed minor injury) and Joey Anderson (illness) didn't play.

Key moment Luukkonen stopped Philipp Kurashev's drive from the slot with 1:44 left in the third and Teuvo Teravainen's deflection with 55 seconds remaining to preserve the lead. Soderblom was on the bench for an extra attacker.

Key stat Buffalo went 0 for 4 on the power play and dropped to 0 for 21 with the man advantage for the season. The Sabres are 6-0-1 against Chicago in their last seven meetings.

Up next The Sabres face Dallas on Tuesday night to start a four-game homestand. The Blackhawks host Vancouver on Tuesday night.

This story has been changed to correct Jordan Greenway’s injury to lower body and corrects JJ Peterka’s comeback to three games following concussion.

Regular Season Series

BUF leads series 1-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 8:39 Tage Thompson Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: JJ Peterka (2), Alex Tuch (5)
Goal 1st Period 11:31 Beck Malenstyn Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Connor Clifton (2), Peyton Krebs (2)
Goal 2nd Period 6:28 Craig Smith Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Lukas Reichel (1), Seth Jones (5)
Goal 2nd Period 12:48 Craig Smith Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Lukas Reichel (2), Connor Murphy (1)
Goal 2nd Period 18:37 JJ Peterka Goal (4) Wrist Shot, assists: Tage Thompson (2), Owen Power (1)
Goal 3rd Period 19:34 Ryan McLeod Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Dylan Cozens (2)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI
14 Blocked Shots 19
24 Hits 21
4 Takeaways 6
22 Shots 37
0 Power Play Goals 0
4 Power Play Opportunities 1
0.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
25 Faceoffs Won 29
46.3 Faceoff Win Percent 53.7
10 Giveaways 11
3 Total Penalties 6
6 Penalty Minutes 12

Game Information

United Center

Location: Chicago, IL
Attendance: 18,773 | Capacity:

2024-25 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Toronto 12 6 26 2
Florida 12 7 25 1
Tampa Bay 10 6 22 2
Boston 9 9 21 3
Buffalo 9 9 19 1
Detroit 8 9 18 2
Ottawa 8 10 17 1
Montreal 7 10 16 2

2024-25 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Winnipeg 16 3 32 0
Minnesota 13 3 29 3
Dallas 12 6 24 0
Colorado 11 9 22 0
St. Louis 9 11 19 1
Utah 7 9 17 3
Chicago 7 12 15 1
Nashville 6 11 15 3
Full Standings