NHL

Buffalo Sabres at Utah Hockey Club

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Dylan Guenther puts Utah ahead to stay in 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres

Guenther's team-leading 25th goal of the season gave Utah a 3-2 lead before the team added a pair of empty-netters.

Mikhail Sergachev had two goals, including one of the empty-netters, and Logan Cooley also scored a goal. Karel Vejmelka stopped 25 shots.

JJ Peterka scored a goal for the Sabres in his return to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. His power-play goal came with 11 seconds left in the first period.

Ryan McLeod also scored a short-handed goal for Buffalo and James Reimer had 27 saves.

Takeaways Buffalo: The Sabres are in last place in the Eastern Conference but had won three of their previous four before Thursday's loss.

Utah: The Utah Hockey Club earned a critical two points in its quest for a playoff spot. The team is in 11th place in the Western Conference with 73 points, four points behind eighth-place St. Louis, which beat Vancouver 4-3 in overtime on Thursday night.

Key moment Beck Malenstyn's goal 11 seconds into the second period that would have given Buffalo a 2-1 lead was disallowed after a video review for goaltender interference.

Key stat McLeod has seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last seven games, including one point in each of his last five contests. His current five-game point streak is tied for the longest of his career (Oct. 12 to 22, 2024).

Up next On Saturday, the Sabres remain on the road at the Minnesota Wild while Utah plays host to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Regular Season Series

UTAH wins series 2-0

Scoring Summary

Goal 1st Period 17:27 Logan Cooley Goal (19) Snap Shot, assists: Nick Schmaltz (38), Clayton Keller (52)
Goal 1st Period 19:49 JJ Peterka Goal (20) Snap Shot, assists: Jason Zucker (27), Tage Thompson (26)
Goal 2nd Period 11:50 Mikhail Sergachev Goal (12) Snap Shot, assists: Jack McBain (9)
Goal 3rd Period 1:32 Ryan McLeod Goal (16) Backhand, assists: none
Goal 3rd Period 14:13 Dylan Guenther Goal (25) Wrist Shot, assists: Barrett Hayton (22), Michael Carcone (12)
Goal 3rd Period 18:50 Kevin Stenlund Goal (11) , assists: none
Goal 3rd Period 19:41 Mikhail Sergachev Goal (13) Snap Shot, assists: Karel Vejmelka (1)

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/utah.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originUTAH
16 Blocked Shots 9
24 Hits 18
2 Takeaways 2
27 Shots 31
1 Power Play Goals 0
5 Power Play Opportunities 4
20.0 Power Play Percentage 0.0
1 Short Handed Goals 1
0 Shootout Goals 0
31 Faceoffs Won 29
51.7 Faceoff Win Percent 48.3
14 Giveaways 11
5 Total Penalties 6
10 Penalty Minutes 12
Utah Hockey Club Utah Hockey Club Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Dylan Guenther, RW Out Apr 23
Tij Iginla, C Out Dec 4
Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Sabres Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
Owen Power, D Out Apr 19
Beck Malenstyn, LW Out Apr 17
Josh Norris, C Out Apr 15
Jordan Greenway, LW Out Apr 12

Game Information

Delta Center

Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Attendance: 11,131 | Capacity:

2024-25 Atlantic Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Toronto 52 26 108 4
Tampa Bay 47 27 102 8
Florida 47 31 98 4
Ottawa 45 30 97 7
Montreal 40 31 91 11
Detroit 39 35 86 8
Buffalo 36 39 79 7
Boston 33 39 76 10

2024-25 Central Division Standings

TEAM W L PTS OTL
Winnipeg 56 22 116 4
Dallas 50 26 106 6
Colorado 49 29 102 4
Minnesota 45 30 97 7
St. Louis 44 30 96 8
Utah 38 31 89 13
Nashville 30 44 68 8
Chicago 25 46 61 11
Full Standings