Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves and four different players scored goals as the surging Buffalo Sabres earned a 4-1 home victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.
Alex Tuch, Jack Quinn and Beck Malenstyn each scored a goal before Tage Thompson added a late empty-netter to give him a goal in five straight contests as the Sabres have come to life with four victories in their past five games.
Luukkonen was stout throughout in making his first start since Nov. 13. He stopped all 24 shots faced in the second and third periods combined. The Hurricanes managed only Shayne Gostisbehere’s goal in the first period.
Carolina sits atop the Eastern Conference but saw its five-game point streak come to an end.
Buffalo took advantage of an early power play chance to open the scoring just 5:51 into the contest. Tuch converted up close off some passing in tight space from Josh Doan and Ryan McLeod, who finished with two assists.
The Hurricanes tied the game 1-1 with 5:24 remaining in the first period. While on a power play, and with Luukkonen looking to regain his footing amid some hefty net-front traffic, the puck slid into the slot for Gostisbehere to bury.
The Sabres regained the lead 3:55 into the second period. Off more nifty passing from Jason Zucker and McLeod, Quinn was in front of the net to tip the puck past Carolina netminder Frederik Andersen, who ended up with 17 saves.
Buffalo made it 3-1 with 1:24 remaining in the second period. Breaking into the Hurricanes’ zone, fourth-liner Malenstyn went inside out via a 1-on-1 with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, then beat Andersen.
Thompson’s 12th of the season came on a wrist shot with under a minute remaining.
Carolina’s Jordan Staal, who has four goals in his last four games, was out Sunday due to illness.
