National Hockey League
Buffalo 5, Arizona 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 11, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Jon McIsaac, Francois St. Laurent
Linesmen: CJ Murray, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 19083

Eric Robinson and Kyle Okposo each had a goal and two assists as the Buffalo Sabres recorded a 5-2 win over the visiting Arizona Coyotes on Monday.

The Sabres are 2-0-1 over their past three games. The points streak coincides with three consecutive starts for Devon Levi, who has looked excellent since his recall from the AHL.

Levi stopped 21 of 23 Arizona shots, giving the goaltender a .942 save percentage over his past three games.

Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, and Connor Clifton had two assists. Peyton Krebs and JJ Peterka scored Buffalo's other goals.

Robinson matched a personal best with his three-point game and collected his first points in a Buffalo uniform. The Sabres acquired the veteran forward in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

After collecting no goals and four assists in his first 19 games, Okposo has started to heat up with eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past 10 games.

Michael Kesselring and Michael Carcone scored for the Coyotes, who are on a three-game losing streak.

Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 33 of 37 shots.

Clifton's aggressive pass up the middle of the ice to Okposo led to a quick goal for Buffalo 2:25 into the first period. Okposo passed to Robinson for the initial shot, and then Okposo buried the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.

Kesselring's first career NHL goal equalized for Arizona at 3:01 of the second period. The defenseman had eight assists in his 19 previous NHL games over the last two seasons, but Kesselring finally got his breakthrough goal on a well-placed wrist shot.

The Sabres regained the lead for good with three consecutive goals in the second period, starting with Robinson's tally 6:14 into the frame.

Krebs' partially screened shot from the circle extended the Sabres' lead 10:52 into the second period, and Peterka deflected a shot off Vejmelka's pads for another goal at the 15:06 mark.

Carcone narrowed the Coyotes' deficit with a short-handed goal at 12:47 of the third period, but Dahlin put away the win with an empty-netter at the 18:55 mark.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Arizona   Buffalo
Michael Carcone 1 Points Kyle Okposo 3
Michael Carcone 1 Goals Kyle Okposo 1
Logan Cooley 1 Assists Kyle Okposo 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
Michael Carcone 1 Short Handed Goals N/A
Karel Vejmelka .892 Save Percentage Devon Levi .913
Karel Vejmelka 33 Saves Devon Levi 21
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Arizona 23 2 0-3 2-2 4 23
Buffalo 38 5 0-2 3-3 6 32
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Colorado. The Sabres have a W/L % of .091 after a win and .611 after a loss.
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .429 after a win and .538 after a loss.