Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres Match Player Stats On Nov 08, 2019

Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde scored goals on Friday night to help the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres in the first of two meetings this weekend at the NHL Global Series in Stockholm.

Andrei Vasilevskiy made 20 saves for the Lightning, who won in regulation for just the second time since Oct. 15.

Sam Reinhart scored twice, and Linus Ullmark made 31 saves for Buffalo, which has lost four in a row and is 1-4-1 since an 8-1-1 start.

Tampa Bay took a 2-0 lead in the first period against Ullmark, one of five Swedes in the lineup for the Sabres at Ericsson Globe, along with forwards Marcus Johansson, Victor Olofsson and Johan Larsson, and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

The Lightning took a 1-0 lead at 3:19 after Brayden Point brought the puck down the left side and elevated a centering pass over the stick blade of Buffalo defenseman Colin Miller. Just as the puck hit the ice, Kucherov lined a one-timer past Ullmark.

Killorn made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 16:14.

Dahlin was in the penalty box for interference on Gourde when Killorn tipped in a slap shot by Hedman, the lone Swede for the Lightning, who missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury.

Reinhart cut the lead to 2-1 on a deflection off a point shot by defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

The goal originally was waved off because an official believed Reinhart used a high stick to deflect the shot, but the call was overturned on review.

The Lightning retook the two-goal lead at 7:45 of the third when Gourde scored a rebound after Ullmark had stopped Patrick Maroon's wraparound.

Reinhart cut the deficit to 3-2 at 11:30 of the third, scoring on a wrist shot from the top of the left circle.

Buffalo right wing Vladimir Sobotka left the game with 5:40 remaining in the first period after colliding with Kucherov and did not return.

Both teams meet again on Saturday night.

--Field Level Media