Sabres hang on for 3-2 victory over Jets to extend win streak to five games

WINNIPEG – Tage Thompson had a goal and assist to help the Buffalo Sabres extend their win streak to five games with a 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Thompson stretched his point streak to six games, collecting three goals and seven assists in that span.

Owen Power and Victor Olofsson also scored for the Sabres (26-19-3). Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin each had a pair of assists.

Eric Comrie stopped 19 shots for Buffalo, which was playing its third game of a four-game road trip and is 5-0-1 in its last six outings. It’s the team’s second five-game win streak this season.

Nate Schmidt and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for the Jets (31-18-1), who are 2-4-0 in their last six games.

Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for Winnipeg, which began a three-game homestand.

Despite having a pair of power plays in the scoreless first period, the Jets were outshot 13-6 and lost 14 of the period’s 16 faceoffs.

Winnipeg did get a good opportunity four minutes into the second period on a three-on-one, but the Jets made too many passes and forward Nikolaj Ehlers could only manage a soft shot on net.

Power opened the scoring at 10:32 of the second with his third goal in as many games. He didn’t score in his first 42 games this season, but is now the first rookie defenceman to record a three-game goal streak with the Sabres.

Thompson made it 2-0 at 14:15 after a slick pass from Alex Tuch, who was skating toward the side of the net and then passed the puck back to Thompson for a one-timer.

Tuch’s assist gave him three goals and six assists over a seven-game point streak, the second-longest point run in his career.

Buffalo outshot Winnipeg 28-11 after two periods.

Olafsson boosted the visitors’ lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal at 10:30 of the third period.

Skinner assisted on the goals by Olafsson and Thompson, running his point streak to six games with two goals and six assists.

Schmidt helped his team avoid a shutout with a power-play goal that went under Comrie at 15:14.

Dubois halved the deficit with 42 seconds left when he notched his 22nd goal of the season. The Jets pulled Hellebuyck, but couldn’t send the game to overtime.

CAREER NUMBERS

Dahlin’s pair of assists gave the blueliner a career-high 55 points in 47 games this season. He put up 53 points in 80 games last season.

Dahlin, who has 41 assists, also became the second Buffalo defenceman to reach the 40-assist mark in fewer than 50 games. John Van Boxmeer accomplished the feat in 38 games in 1981-82.

Thompson’s goal and his assist on Power’s marker tied his career best for points with 68.

UP NEXT

Jets: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.

Sabres: Play the Wild in Minnesota on Saturday.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2023.

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