Jason Zucker leads Sabres to pivotal win over Lightning

Jason Zucker broke a tie in the second period and added an assist as the host Buffalo Sabres defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Monday night.

Alex Tuch, Josh Norris and Jack Quinn also scored for the Sabres (47-23-8, 102 points), who snapped a two-game losing streak and moved into a tie with the Lightning atop the Atlantic Division. Defenseman Bowen Byram had two assists and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves.

Jake Guentzel had a goal and an assist, and Nikita Kucherov got the goals for Tampa Bay (48-23-6, 102 points), which had won four of its previous five. Defenseman Darren Raddysh had two assists, and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots.

Zucker gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead 7:38 into the second period when he tipped Byram's shot from the right point at about waist level.

Quinn added an empty-net goal with 1:54 left.

Guentzel tied the game 2-2 3:56 into the middle period on a shot from the top inside edge of the left circle.

Norris gave the Sabres a 2-1 lead with 5:56 left in the first period on a shot from the right circle after taking a drop pass from Josh Doan off the rush.

Kucherov's power-play goal with 8:15 remaining in the opening period tied it 1-1. His 400th career goal and 43rd of the season came on a one-timer from the right circle as Kucherov's momentum was going backwards. It was his third goal in three games, and Kucherov has five points in that span.

Tuch opened the scoring with his 30th goal 5:42 into the game. After serving a holding-the-stick penalty, Tuch stepped out of the penalty box, took a cross-ice pass from Byram, carried the puck into the Lightning zone, cut to the middle of the ice and beat Vasilevskiy from the high slot.

Tampa Bay's Pontus Holmberg left the game with a little under seven minutes left after going shoulder first into the boards due to a hit from Peyton Krebs.

--Field Level Media