The Carolina Hurricanes swept their abbreviated season series with the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night outlasting Buffalo 4-3. The Panthers did it with a rookie in the nets, calling up Justin Peters from the Canes AHL affiliate. Peters the saves when they counted and sent the Sabres to their first regulation time loss in their last five games.
Jiri Tlusty scored in the first period for the Panthers and Joe Corvo in the second to spot the home team a 2-0 advantage. Cody Hodgson got the Sabres on the board 25 seconds into the third, but the Canes’ Jussi Jokinen — moved to Eric Staal’s line with Alexander Semin — scored 50 seconds later for a 3-1 lead.
The Sabres cut the lead to 3-2 with 5:27 left in regulation on T.J. Brennan’s power-play blast. Brennan’s score came seconds after a 5-on-3 power play expired. But Alexander Semin answered with his first goal in PNC Arena as a Hurricane.
Peters has 22 saves after 40 minutes and several have high quality. None was better than his desperation lunge and blocker save on a shot by the Sabres’ Thomas Vanek with 1:17 left in the second period.
Vanek, returning to the Sabres’ lineup after missing two games with an upper-body injury, was looking at an open net. But Peters, making his first NHL start of the season, made a quick lateral move to his right and reached out to keep the puck from crossing the goal line.
Sabres’ goalie Ryan Miller prevented the Canes from taking a 3-0 lead with a terrific save of his own. With the Sabres on the power play, the Canes’ Eric Staal corraled the puck along the boards and began a two-on-none rush with Alex Semin. Staal passed to Semin on the right wing but Miller was there for the stop.
The Sabres remain on the road Thursday night taking on the Devils in a rematch of Saturday’s shootout victory by Buffalo.
Filed under: Buffalo Sabres
Tagged with: Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Justin Peters, NHL, Ryan Miller
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