The Buffalo Sabres scored three second-period goals to beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday, snapping a six-game losing streak.
Paul Gaustad, Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville all had goals in the second to help decide the clash between division leaders. Kent Huskins scored in the third for San Jose, the Pacific Division’s top team.
The game was the last for both teams before the NHL’s Olympic break, which runs from today until March 1.
“It was good that we could go into the break feeling good,” Sabres netminder Ryan Miller said after making 27 saves for the Northeast leaders. “Even though it’s been a tough stretch, feeling good about the way we played tonight against a good team can go a long way.”
Miller, who will be a goalie for the US team in the Olympic tournament at Vancouver, had not won a game since Jan. 29.
Miller and San Jose’s Russian netminder Evgeni Nabokov duelled to a scoreless standoff before Buffalo’s Gaustad used a pass from Henrik Tallinder to get the Sabres on the board 5:25 into the second.
Vanek made it 2-0 about seven minutes later and Pominville added the Sabres’ final tally at 17:23 of the period.
In other NHL action it was:
• NY Islanders 5, Tampa Bay 4
• Philadelphia 6, Montreal 2
• Carolina 5, New Jersey 2
• Boston 3, Florida 2 (SO)
• Detroit 4, Ottawa 1
• St Louis 4, Washington 3 (SO)
• Dallas 3, Phoenix 0
• Chicago 5, Atlanta 4 (SO)
• Calgary 3, Anaheim 1
• Los Angeles 3, Colorado 0
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