Buffalo Sabres 3-2 Anaheim Ducks
The Buffalo Sabres pulled off an incredible comeback to get the better of the Anaheim Ducks 4-2. In the first period, there were a plethora of penalties - a total of 11 occurred. Perhaps it is unsurprising that the only goal of the period came off a power play, as Mason McTavish put the guests in front after just three minutes.
Despite it being a much quieter second period regarding penalties, the Ducks grabbed their second from another man advantage. This time, Leo Carlsson converted the extra man situation five minutes in to double Anaheim's lead. That would be the score until the third period, where Buffalo would come alive.
The first half of the final frame, which saw no penalties, would be where the Sabres did their damage. Two minutes after the restart, Jason Peterka got one back for the hosts. Alex Tuch tied things up 5:34 in, before Henri Jokiharju scored the winner with 10:29 left in regulation. Having outshot their guests 63-31, the Sabres finally made the most of their chances, allowing them to pick up the victory.
Buffalo are still bottom of the Eastern Conference, sitting 11 points back of the playoffs. As for the Ducks, they are 12th in the West, seven points out of a postseason berth.
Minnesota Wild 2-3 Detroit Red Wings
Just as was the case with the Buffalo game, the Detroit Red Wings also had to rely on a comeback to get their victory. The team from Michigan got past the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on their travels. But they would find themselves down by two goals in the middle of the first period. Marco Rossi got the scoring going 7:17 in on a power play, before Jakub Lauko doubled the Wild's lead. With 19 of their 29 shots in the game coming in the opening period, the visitors had nothing to show for their attempts.
The second period saw the home team look more threatening as they tried to build on their lead. However, halfway through the frame, Vladimir Tarasenko made it 2-1. The guests would not have to wait long for their leveller either, as Simon Edvinsson tied things up.
The winner came with 8:25 to go as Edvinsson got his second of the game. The Swedish defenceman's goal was one of just three from Detroit in the final period. Despite being outshot 43-29 across the whole game, they proved to be more efficient as they earned a crucial victory.
A second consecutive win leaves the Red Wings in seventh spot in the East, with their lead over the Ottawa Senators - currently in ninth - being four points. The Wild stay fifth in the West, but their three-game winning run was snapped with the loss.