Buffalo Sabres Week in Review (Nov. 17 – Nov. 23)

Breanna McNeill
Nov 23
7 min read

Photo Credit: Buffalo Sabres Multimedia Photo Galleries

The Buffalo Sabres wrapped up a four-game homestand this week, collecting an impressive six of eight possible points with three wins to climb back to .500 on the season.

They opened the week with a strong performance against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers at KeyBank Centre, extending their win streak with a 5–1 victory. On Wednesday, Buffalo faced the struggling Calgary Flames, but a disappointing outing and a third-period collapse saw them surrender four unanswered goals, halting their streak.

However, the offence erupted on Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks and Connor Bedard, as the Sabres scored nine goals, tying the highest single-game total by any NHL team this season. It also marked Buffalo’s most goals in a game since their 9–3 win over Toronto on Dec. 21, 2023.

To close out the week, the Sabres took on the Metro Division–leading Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Despite having a goal called back in the first period, Buffalo battled hard and put up four, securing their second straight win and another strong outing for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

The Sabres now sit atop the NHL in penalty kill efficiency at 87.7%. The week also featured a milestone moment, as Josh Dunne earned his first NHL point in Monday’s win over Edmonton.

Notable Player Performances:

Tage Thompson – 4GP, 4G, 1A
- Currently riding a six-game goal streak
Alex Tuch – 4GP, 1G, 4A
Rasmus Dahlin – 4GP, 5A
Josh Doan – 4GP, 2G, 1A
Bowen Byram – 4GP, 2G, 1A
Ryan McLeod – 4GP, 1G, 3A
Mattias Samuelsson – 4GP, 2G, 2A
Jack Quinn – 4GP, 2GP, 1A
Noah Ostlund – 4GP, 2G
- First career multigoal game
Beck Malenstyn – 4GP, 2G, 1A

The Sabres will play three games this week: Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins (10-6–5), Friday against the New Jersey Devils (13–7–1), and then Saturday against the Minnesota Wild (12–7–4).

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the four games:

Buffalo Sabres vs. Edmonton Oilers – Nov. 17th, 2025

Final: 5 (BUF) – 1 (EDM)

The Buffalo Sabres rolled to a 5–1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night at KeyBank Center.

Noah Östlund opened the scoring on the power play just before the last minute of the first period, taking a pass from Isak Rosén at the top of the crease, spinning, and slipping the puck past Stuart Skinner’s right skate.

Jack Roslovic tied the game at one early into the second when he cut through the middle and one-timed a feed from Leon Draisaitl over Colten Ellis’ right arm.

Bowen Byram restored Buffalo’s lead not long after, beating Skinner with a wrist shot from the right circle inside the near post to make it 2–1.

Beck Malenstyn extended the lead just over a minute later, tipping in Rasmus Dahlin’s point shot for his first goal since Dec. 31, 2024.

Östlund struck again in the third, pulling the puck out from behind the net and curling into the right circle before firing a far-side wrist shot for his second of the night, marking his first multi-goal NHL game.

Tage Thompson sealed the win with an empty-netter in the last few minutes for the 5–1 final.

Colten Ellis finished with 32 saves for Buffalo, while Skinner stopped 23 shots in the loss for Edmonton.

Three Stars:

#1. Noah Östlund (BUF) – 2G

#2. Colten Ellis (BUF) – .970 SV%

#3. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) – 2A

Buffalo Sabres vs. Calgary Flames – Nov. 19th, 2025

Final: 6 (CGY) – 2 (BUF)

The Buffalo Sabres saw their two-game winning streak come to an end with a 6-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.

Rasmus Andersson opened the scoring for the Flames early in the first period. After Colten Ellis was unable to control a rebound, a pinching Andersson collected it at the bottom of the right circle and roofed a wrist shot under the bar for a 1–0 lead.

Joel Farabee made it 2–0, positioning himself in front to redirect Nazem Kadri’s centring pass through Ellis’ pads.

The Sabres appeared to cut the deficit in half when Rasmus Dahlin scored, but the goal was overturned following a controversial goaltender interference review.

Mattias Samuelsson officially got Buffalo on the board midway through the second period, intercepting Yan Kuznetsov’s clearing attempt along the right wall. He skated to the faceoff dot and beat Devin Cooley short side with a quick snap shot to make it 2–1.

Tage Thompson tied the game shortly after, taking a pass from Samuelsson above the right circle and hammering a one-timer off the post and in to make it 2–2.

Tied entering the third, the Sabres quickly fell behind again when Morgan Frost tucked home a cross-crease feed from Jonathan Huberdeau at the right post to put Calgary ahead 3–2.

Mikael Backlund added to the lead soon after, firing a shot from the slot past Ellis’ glove to make it 4–2. Joel Farabee then beat everyone to a loose puck for a partial breakaway and converted to extend the lead to 5–2, prompting fans to head for the exits. Matt Coronato capped the scoring with Calgary’s sixth of the night.

In his second straight start, Ellis made 29 saves in the loss. At the other end, Cooley stopped 28 shots for his first win as a Flame.

Three Stars:

#1. Joel Farabee (CGY) – 2G

#2. Rasmus Anderson (CGY) – 1G, 2A

#3. Mattias Samuelsson (BUF) – 1G, 1A

Buffalo Sabres vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Nov. 21st, 2025

Final: 9 (BUF) – 3 (CHI)

The Buffalo Sabres score nine against the Chicago Blackhawks, tying the highest single-game total by any NHL team this season.

Josh Doan opened the scoring for Buffalo in the first period, finishing his own rebound by sliding it past Arvid Soderblom’s left pad for a 1–0 lead.

Jason Zucker, returning after missing eight games due to illness, made it 2–0 not long after. Jack Quinn set him up with a no-look backhand pass, and Zucker snapped a shot over Soderblom’s arm from the left circle.

Bowen Byram extended the lead to 3–0 on the power play, redirecting Alex Tuch’s diagonal cross-ice feed from the slot under Soderblom’s right arm.

However, Tyler Bertuzzi cut it to 3–1 in the dying minutes of the first when he gathered a loose puck in front and lifted a backhand to the glove side.

Ryan McLeod restored the three-goal lead early into the second period, beating Soderblom with a wrist shot under the right arm from the right hash marks. Just eight seconds later, Mattias Samuelsson made it 5–1 when his point shot deflected off Chicago defenseman Louis Crevier and in, marking his second straight game with a goal and Buffalo’s fastest pair of goals since they scored twice in six seconds against the New York Rangers on April 19, 2013.

Alex Vlasic brought Chicago within three after beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a screened shot from above the right circle. But Doan answered at the end of the period, firing a short side shot from the right circle for his second of the game and a 6–2 lead.

Bertuzzi made it 6–3 just 24 seconds into the third period for his second of the game, tipping Connor Bedard’s point shot on the power play while providing the screen.

Tage Thompson extended Buffalo’s lead to four a couple of minutes later, driving the net and sliding the puck under Soderblom’s pads to stretch his goal streak to five games.

Quinn added to the onslaught, roofing a wrist shot under the bar to make it 8–3, and Jacob Bryson capped the scoring in the last few minutes for his first of the season, when he jumped on a loose puck in the slot and tucked it around Soderblom at the left post for the 9–3 final.

Three Stars:

#1. Alex Tuch (BUF) – 4A

#2. Josh Doan (BUF) – 2G

#3. Jason Zucker (BUF) – 1G, 2A

Buffalo Sabres vs. Carolina Hurricanes – Nov. 23rd, 2025

Final: 4 (BUF) – 1 (CAR)

The Buffalo Sabres earned their second straight win on Sunday, closing out their four-game homestand with six of eight possible points.

Alex Tuch opened the scoring on the power play early in the first period. Left uncovered at the back door, he took a cross-slot feed from Ryan McLeod and buried it into the open side of the net for a 1–0 lead.

Buffalo appeared to extend its lead shortly after, but the goal was overturned following another controversial goaltender interference call, echoing similar frustration from earlier in the week.

After killing off the failed challenge penalty, the Sabres surrendered the tying goal on Carolina’s next power play. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen caught out of position in a scramble, Mattias Samuelsson’s clearing attempt went straight to Shayne Gostisbehere, who scored from the left circle to make it 1–1.

Jack Quinn restored the lead early in the second, taking a pass from McLeod in front and lifting it under the bar for his fifth of the season.

Beck Malenstyn then extended the lead to 3–1 with a highlight-reel effort. After taking a backhand pass from Tyson Kozak, he deked past Sebastian Aho, jumped around him to cut to the middle, and fired a wrist shot under Frederik Andersen’s arm.

Tage Thompson sealed the win with an empty-netter in the final seconds, scoring for an NHL career-high sixth straight game. He now has 12 goals through 22 games.

Despite being outshot 13–4 in the third period, the Sabres held firm defensively to secure the victory.

Luukkonen made 29 saves for his second straight win after appearing in only one of the Sabres’ previous six games. Andersen stopped 17 shots for Carolina in the loss.

Three Stars:

#1. Ryan McLeod (BUF) – 2A

#2. Beck Malenstyn (BUF) – 1G

#3. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) – .967 SV%