BUFFALO, N.Y. – Jason Pominville had a goal and two assists during a 2:07 span of the third period, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-3 comeback victory over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night.
Tim Connolly scored the go-ahead goal to cap the surge and added an assist for a Buffalo team that overcame a 3-1 deficit and won for only the second time in eight games (2-5-1).
Clarke MacArthur, Craig Rivet and Maxim Afinogenov also scored for the Sabres, who needed a win to avoid falling further out of playoff contention.
With 78 points and nine games left, Buffalo remains in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, but moved within five points of eighth-place Montreal.
The ninth-place Panthers not only squandered a two-goal lead, but also an opportunity to move into a tie with idle Montreal.
Brett McLean had a goal and assist, and Richard Zednik and Michael Frolik also scored for Florida, 1-4-3 in its past eight games. The Panthers lost for only the sixth time this season when entering the third period with a lead.
Penguins 2, Flames 0: At Pittsburgh, Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to help Pittsburgh keep pace in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race.
Wild 6, Islanders 2: At Uniondale, N.Y., Marian Gaborik had two goals and two assists, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan each scored once and set up two others, and Minnesota snapped a five-game road losing streak.
Blackhawks 6, Sharks 5, SO: At Chicago, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews scored in a shootout, and Chicago goalie Nikolai Khabibulin turned away Jeremy Roenick on San Jose’s final attempt.
Ducks 7, Avalanche 2: At Denver, Corey Perry scored two goals, Andrew Ebbett had a goal and two assists and Anaheim won its season-high fifth straight game and moved into seventh place in the Western Conference, a point ahead of idle Edmonton.
Hurricanes 2, Senators 1: At Raleigh, N.C., Rod Brind’Amour and Anton Babchuk scored third-period goals, and Cam Ward made 21 saves to help Carolina win its season-high fifth straight game and match the club record with its ninth home win in a row.