Ristolainen helps Sabres salvage win
Kane also scores twice as Buffalo blows early two-goal lead, but recovers to down Oilers
Rasmus Ristolainen scored 57 seconds into overtime Tuesday as the Buffalo Sabres beat the visiting Edmonton Oilers 4-3.
The Sabres scored twice in a span of 86 seconds with Evander Kane forcing overtime by scoring with 29 seconds left in regulation. Kane had two goals and Brian Gionta also scored as Buffalo rallied after squandering a 2-0 first-period lead.
Anders Nilsson stopped 34 shots, foiling Edmonton star Connor McDavid on a short-handed breakaway in the third period.
Leon Draisaitl, Milan Lucic and Jordan Eberle scored for the Oilers, who are 3-0-2 in the their last five road games despite the loss. McDavid had two assists. The five-game point streak is the Oilers’ longest on the road since going 5-0-2 from March 6 to April 1, 2012.
The game was decided when Ristolainen played give-and-go with centre Ryan O’Reilly just inside Edmonton’s blue-line. O’Reilly passed to Ristolainen atop the left circle and his rising slapshot beat Cam Talbot, who was partially screened in front by Buffalo’s Kyle Okposo. Ristolainen also had two assists.
Kane forced overtime by converting a rebound in front. O’Reilly’s shot from the right circle hit the right post and bounced into the crease. As Edmonton defenceman Kris Russell was attempting to clear the puck, Kane slapped at it and sent it into the open side.
The Oilers were the more rested team, having travelled to Buffalo on Monday following a 2-1 overtime home loss to Minnesota on Sunday. The Sabres were coming off a 3-2 overtime loss at Washington on Monday night.
McDavid snapped a two-game point drought. The NHL points leader this season has never gone without a point in three straight games in 73 career contests.
Flyers edge Panthers
In Philadelphia, Jakub Voracek scored with 8.6 seconds left in overtime after Wayne Simmonds had two goals in regulation, leading the Flyers to their sixth straight victory 3-2 over the Florida Panthers.
Steve Mason made 42 saves to help the Flyers to their longest winning streak in five years. Mason, who earned the NHL’s first star of the week on Monday, won his fifth straight start.
Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen scored for Florida, which completed a six-game trip with a 1-5-0 record.
Mason turned aside Florida’s best chance in overtime when he denied Aaron Ekblad’s slapshot from close range.
Simmonds notched his 28th multigoal game and second in two games when he deflected Claude Giroux’s wrist shot past James Reimer for a 2-1 lead with 9:52 remaining in the second period. It was Simmonds’ NHL-leading eighth power-play goal and snapped Florida’s streak of successful penalty kills at 18.
Philadelphia’s winning streak is its best since seven straight victories Dec. 2-15, 2011.
Halak shines
Andrew Ladd scored in the second period and Jaroslav Halak stopped 36 shots to lead the New York Islanders to a 4-2 victory over the crosstown-rival Rangers.
John Tavares, Jason Chimera and Scott Mayfield also scored at the Barclays Center to help the Islanders improve to 4-0-1 over their last five games.
The Islanders had their second sellout of the season and first since the season opener against Anaheim on Oct. 16.