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Dahlin helps Sabres snap winless streak with 4-2 victory over Jets

Dec 14, 2021 | 8:51 PM

WINNIPEG — Rasmus Dahlin scored twice to help the Buffalo Sabres snap a seven-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

Anders Bjork and Jeff Skinner also scored for the Sabres (9-15-4), who are now 1-5-2 in their last eight games. Tage Thompson and Victor Olofsson each contributed two assists.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, starting his fourth straight game, stopped 32 shots for the Sabres, who were starting a three-game road trip.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, with a goal and one assist, and Nikolaj Ehlers scored for the Jets (13-10-5).

Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves in Winnipeg’s first game of a three-game homestand.

The Jets had three power plays, but only managed one shot on goal in each of them. Buffalo was ranked 23rd on the penalty kill coming into the contest.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and the Sabres led 3-2 after the second.

Buffalo went on the power play at 6:42 of the first period. Dahlin capitalized 32 seconds later with his fourth goal of the season off a high shot on the stick side of Hellebuyck.

The Jets tied it up almost three minutes later after Dubois put a low shot past Luukkonen from outside the crease, notching his 14th of the season at 10:04.

Winnipeg outshot the visitors 14-7 after the opening period.

The Jets had the early power play 1:45 into the second, but again only fired one shot on goal.

Bjork got the go-ahead goal at 11:30 on a feed to the front of the net by Vinnie Hinostroza, who was playing his 300th NHL game.

Winnipeg responded 66 seconds later with Ehlers’ 11th goal of the season to make it 2-2.

The Jets spent a lot of time after the goal in Buffalo’s end, but when the Sabres went down the ice Dahlin scored his second of the game through traffic with 39 seconds left in the period.

Winnipeg was outshooting the Sabres 27-19 after two periods.

Another man advantage five seconds into the third again only resulted in one shot on goal for the Jets.

Skinner supplied the two-goal gap with his ninth goal of the season at 11:55.

The Jets were missing captain Blake Wheeler, who injured a knee in last Friday’s shootout loss in Vancouver. He doesn’t require surgery, but is expected to miss weeks.

Winnipeg hosts the Washington Capitals on Friday. Buffalo plays the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 14, 2021.

Judy Owen, The Canadian Press