In a surprising turn of events, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Sunday, thanks to a standout performance from Ryan McLeod, who scored a goal and provided three assists, and goalie James Reimer, who stopped 33 shots.
The Jets were aiming to secure a spot in the NHL playoffs with just one point from this game. Their playoff berth is still possible if the St. Louis Blues lose their game against the Nashville Predators later on Sunday.
For the Sabres (27-36-6), who are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, J.J. Peterka, Rasmus Dahlin, Tyson Kozak, and Alex Tuch also contributed goals. Jacob Bernard-Docker assisted twice in the game.
This victory comes after Buffalo`s 4-1 defeat against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
The Winnipeg Jets (48-19-4) saw goals from Nino Niederreiter, Colin Miller, and Nikolaj Ehlers. Logan Stanley provided two assists for the Jets, who were starting a four-game home series.
Eric Comrie, the Jets` backup goalie, made 12 saves in his 18th game of the season, recording his ninth loss (8-9-1).
J.J. Peterka opened the scoring for the Sabres at 9:15 in the first period with his 22nd goal of the season, beating Comrie on the glove side.
Nino Niederreiter equalized for the Jets on a power play at 2:05 of the second period in a somewhat fortunate play. The puck deflected off Reimer’s pad, hit Sabres defender Beck Malenstyn’s skate, and then went into the net.
Tristan Blackwood