NHL

Chicago Blackhawks at Buffalo Sabres

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Tuch scores hat trick, Sabres beat Blackhawks 6-2 for 2nd straight win after 13-game skid

Sabres strike twice in 15 seconds for blazing start

Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn each had a goal and an assist in the first period. The Sabres also got goals from Zach Benson and Tuch to build a 4-0 lead, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen needed to make just two of his 15 saves in the opening period.

Tuch scored twice in the third period after Seth Jones cut the Sabres' lead to 4-2

Buffalo’s victory was its second in a row following a 13-game winless streak (0-10-3) that briefly put the Sabres below the Blackhawks for the worst record in the NHL.

Rasmus Dahlin had two assists after tallying four in Buffalo’s 7-1 win against the New York Islanders on Monday.

Tyler Bertuzzi had the other goal for Chicago. Goaltender Petr Mrazek was pulled after allowing four goals on 11 shots in the first period. Backup Arvid Soderblom made 22 saves.

Takeaways Blackhawks: Dropped to 5-14-2 on the road after going winless on a three-game trip. They have now lost five consecutive away games with a three-game home win streak in between. Chicago plays 11 of its next 13 games at home

Sabres: Consecutive blowout wins have restored some confidence and eased fan discontent after the third-longest skid in team history.

Key moment Cozens set up Quinn’s one-timer on a rush 15 seconds after Tuch’s tip-in to make it 3-0 within the opening 13 minutes.

Key stat The Blackhawks trailed by three goals before recording a shot on net at 13:11 into the first.

Up next The Blackhawks host the Dallas Stars on Sunday before playing the St. Louis Blues in the NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. The Sabres visit St. Louis on Sunday.

Regular Season Series

BUF wins series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 9:51 Zach Benson Goal (6) Tip-In, assists: Rasmus Dahlin (18), Bowen Byram (15)
Goal 1st Period 12:23 Alex Tuch Goal (10) Tip-In, assists: Tage Thompson (10), Rasmus Dahlin (19)
Goal 1st Period 12:38 Jack Quinn Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Dylan Cozens (11), JJ Peterka (16)
Goal 1st Period 19:18 Dylan Cozens Goal (8) Wrist Shot, assists: Jack Quinn (6)
Goal 2nd Period 16:39 Tyler Bertuzzi Goal (11) Wrist Shot, assists: Taylor Hall (12), Connor Bedard (22)
Goal 3rd Period 3:06 Seth Jones Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Patrick Maroon (8), Lukas Reichel (8)
Goal 3rd Period 5:48 Alex Tuch Goal (11) Wrist Shot, assists: Ryan McLeod (11), Sam Lafferty (1)
Goal 3rd Period 15:06 Alex Tuch Goal (12) Snap Shot, assists: none

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/chi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nhl/500/buf.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBUF
9 Blocked Shots 11
35 Hits 24
4 Takeaways 5
17 Shots 35
0 Power Play Goals 0
1 Power Play Opportunities 1
0.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
0 Short Handed Goals 0
0 Shootout Goals 0
24 Faceoffs Won 25
49.0 Faceoff Win Percent 51.0
20 Giveaways 8
2 Total Penalties 2
4 Penalty Minutes 4

Game Information

KeyBank Center

Location: Buffalo, NY
Attendance: 19,070 | Capacity:

2024-25 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Winnipeg 28 12 58 2
Minnesota 26 11 56 4
Dallas 25 13 51 1
Colorado 25 15 51 1
St. Louis 19 19 42 4
Utah 17 15 41 7
Nashville 13 21 33 7
Chicago 13 25 28 2

2024-25 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Toronto 27 13 56 2
Florida 24 15 50 2
Boston 20 18 45 5
Tampa Bay 21 15 44 2
Ottawa 19 17 41 3
Montreal 19 18 41 3
Detroit 18 18 40 4
Buffalo 15 21 35 5
Full Standings