LDN - Sports

Blackhawks slip by Sabres in OT to end winless streak

[December 09, 2017] CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Gustav Forsling could hear his teammates screaming from the bench as he handled the puck near the front of the blue line.

Forsling quickly realized they were providing a countdown of how much time remained in overtime.

"Ten seconds!"

He relaxed, steadied the puck and ripped a slap shot into the back of the net.

Forsling's game-winning goal with 4.9 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Blackhawks to a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night at the United Center. The shot capped a late comeback for Chicago (13-11-5), which trailed with less than four minutes to go in regulation.

"It's a great feeling," Forsling said as he and his teammates savored their first win in the past six games. "We knew this was coming. We have great confidence in each other. We trust each other."

For much of the game, it did not appear that the Blackhawks' trust would be rewarded. Buffalo (7-17-5) led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second, and they had an opportunity to notch their first win in Chicago since 2007 when they went on the power play late in the third.

The plan backfired.

Tommy Wingels tallied a short-handed goal for the Blackhawks with 3:22 remaining in regulation to even the score at 2. Forsling fired a slap shot from the blue line and Wingels scored on a redirect.

The sequence left Sabres goaltender Robin Lehner shaking his head in a quiet locker room after the game. Lehner made 48 saves on 51 shots, but Chicago's late comeback soured his mood.

"I've been feeling good lately," Lehner said. "It's tough when we're not getting wins, but I work hard in practice to try to improve my game, and I think everyone is. That's all that matters right now."

On the opposite end of the rink, Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford stopped 26 shots in his return from a lower-body injury that sidelined him for three games. Crawford's best moment came in overtime as he denied Sabres center Jack Eichel on a penalty shot with 3:29 to go.

"I do the same thing," Crawford said. "Go out there, close the gap, try to stay patient on that one."

The save energized the Blackhawks as they watched from the bench.

"I didn't think there was any doubt on the bench he was making that save for us," Blackhawks center Nick Schmaltz said. "It's great to have him back there to make those key saves and keep us in the game and eventually help us come out with a win tonight."

Buffalo opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first period.

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Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates past Buffalo Sabres right wing Jason Pominville (29) during the third period at the United Center. Chicago won 3-2 in over time. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Eichel created the scoring opportunity as he darted past Blackhawks left winger Brandon Saad and slipped a pass to Jason Pominville in the slot. Pominville chipped a high shot past Crawford to snap an ugly 0-for-30 skid for the Sabres on the man advantage.

Chicago evened the score at 1 on a power-play goal by Alex DeBrincat with 11:30 remaining in the second period. The 19-year-old rookie unleashed a pinpoint wrist shot from the left circle for his 12th goal, which is tied with Artem Anisimov for the team lead.

Kyle Okposo put Buffalo back on top 2-1 less than three minutes later when he stepped into a wrist shot from the high slot.

"You look at the game, we had the game in our hands," Sabres coach Phil Housley said. "We had opportunities to win the hockey game (in addition to) Robin's effort. We've got to manage those areas.

"That's sort of where we're at right now, learning to win and doing the right things. You get a one-goal lead going into the third, it's just about managing the game in general."

The Blackhawks improved to 3-5 in overtime. The Sabres dropped to 1-5 in the extra session.

"Finding a way to win in overtime has been tough for us lately, so it turned out to be a huge two points for us," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said.

NOTES: The Blackhawks re-assigned G Jean-Francois Berube to Rockford of the AHL before activating G Corey Crawford from injured reserve. Berube made one appearance for Chicago, stopping 12 of 14 shots against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. ... Sabres D Nathan Beaulieu missed his second straight game because of an illness. ... Blackhawks C Vinnie Hinostroza made his season debut several hours after he was recalled from Rockford of the AHL. ... Sabres C Scott Wilson picked up his first point with his new team when he assisted on RW Kyle Okposo's goal in the second period. Buffalo acquired Wilson from the Detroit Red Wings on Monday. ... Blackhawks RW Ryan Hartman was a healthy scratch.

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