Buffalo Sabres 8-7 Tampa Bay Lightning
Fifteen goals, 102 penalty minutes - this game had everything. In the end, the Buffalo Sabres edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-7 in an absolute thriller.
The hosts went up 3-0 by the middle of the second period, after Josh Doan put them in front in the first. Jason Zucker and Alex Tuch got on the board with their own power play goals, putting the Bolts in a hole.
But, they would not be down for long. Corey Perry got one back, before Tuch added a shorthanded goal to restore the three-goal lead for Buffalo. What then followed was a five-goal haul from Tampa, between the middle of the second and start of the third. Nikita Kucherov (2), Zemgus Girgensons, J.J. Moser, and Brayden Point were all involved in giving the guests their first lead of the contest.
The Sabres battled back though. After Sam Carrick made it 6-5, Brandon Hagel added a seventh for the Lightning, giving them a 7-5 advantage with just over 10 minutes left. Just when one would think the game would be over from here, the home team rallied back.
Rasmus Dahlin made it a one-score game, before Zucker added his second of the night to tie things back up. Doan, who opened the scoring, capped it off with another power play goal 4:17 before the end to give his side the win.
The Sabres now lead the Atlantic Division as a result of the victory, and are second in the Eastern Conference overall on 84 points. The Bolts are right behind them on 82 points after losing their fifth out of the last six.
Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 Boston Bruins (OT)
The Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from Saturday's disappointment with a 5-4 overtime success over the Boston Bruins.
Pavel Zacha started the match off with two goals for the Bruins to give them a 2-0 lead by the midway point of the second. David Pastrnak added a third a few minutes later to put the Penguins in a hole.
But, the hosts turned things around. Yegor Chinakov got them on the board 5:16 before the end of the middle frame, then Connor Dewar and Anthony Mantha grabbed the markers to tie things up.
That joy was shortlived for Pittsburgh, as two minutes later, Boston retook the lead through Zacha, who completed his hat-trick. From there, it looked like the guests would come away victorious, only for Mantha to score another equalizer to ultimately force overtime.
It took the Penguins just 17 seconds into the extra period to find their winner, as Thomas Novak made the most of his chance to net the winning goal.
Pittsburgh are now up to sixth spot in the East with the win, ending a three-game losing skid. As for the Bruins, they hold onto the last playoff spot in the conference by three points over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Other results
Colorado Avalanche 3-2 Minnesota Wild (SO)
Dallas Stars 4-3 Chicago Blackhawks (OT)
New Jersey Devils 0-3 Detroit Red Wings
Anaheim Ducks 0-4 St. Louis Blues