Observations: In OT thriller, Sabres get the final answer over Lightning on Ilya Lyubushkin's goal

Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin – with no goals in his first 41 games in Buffalo and just three in the first 252 games of his NHL career – scored on a short-handed breakaway to allow Buffalo to pull out a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night in Amalie Arena. The thriller was played before a raucous crowd of 19,092 that featured plenty of Sabres fans.

The Sabres were killing off a delay of game penalty to Henrik Jokiharju that came with six seconds left in regulation. Near the end of that penalty, Lyubushkin wrested the puck away from Steven Stamkos high in the Buffalo zone – and was probably lucky he didn't get a hooking penalty – then kicked it to his stick and took off down the right wing.

Nikita Kucherov gave chase but Lybushkin beat Andrei Vasilevskiy with a wrist shot at 1:41 of OT that belied his lack of offensive prowess.

"I just see a straight line (of open ice). Just go as fast as possible," said a smiling Lybushkin. "I had a little bit of time but not a lot and I just tried to shoot the puck. I feel nice for my team. It's more important than for me. We try to push for the playoffs right now and it's so important for us."

"I think everyone on the bench was on their feet screaming as he was skating down the ice," said Buffalo center Tage Thompson, whose fourth hat trick of the season was overshadowed. "Great shot and I think the boys went nuts."

Lyubushkin in overtime! 6-5 (lol'd at the no call) #LetsGoBuffalo #TBLightning pic.twitter.com/hdlvNJT6q2

— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) February 24, 2023

The Sabres had lots of answers in this game even as they built leads of 4-2 and 5-3 but watched Tampa Bay rally. Ross Colton's power play goal with 5:05 left got the Lightning into OT and it took four saves from Eric Comrie in the extra session – and a goalpost off Stamkos' stick after 10 seconds – to keep the Sabres alive.

The Sabres showed passion, a willingness to engage in battles and a much better commitment to defense. All of those things have been absent too often in recent games. Even though they blew a third-period lead against Tampa Bay for the third time in three meetings, they were undaunted in winning here for the first time since Feb. 28, 2018.

"You get such a feel on the bench night tonight and it never felt there was any reason to doubt our guys," said coach Don Granato. "The conviction they played with was there."

It was just Buffalo's second win in its last 13 games against Tampa Bay. The Sabres had lost six straight here.

Thompson's fourth hat trick of the season and first multigoal game since Jan. 3 in Washington pushed his season total to 39 goals, breaking the career high of 38 he set last season. Thompson's third goal, a nifty backhand through the legs of Vasilevskiy at 6:18 of the third period, put Buffalo in control at 5-3 – the same score it led Tampa in its November loss in KeyBank Center. That game was lost, 6-5, on a Stamkos goal in overtime.

"I shot on the (goal) right before that one so he might think I was shooting again," Thompson said. "I did a pretty good job selling the shot. Was able to open him up."

Tage Thompson tallied his League-leading fourth hat trick of the season and Ilya Lyubushkin scored a shorthanded goal in OT as the @BuffaloSabres remained two points back of Detroit, which grabbed the Eastern Conference’s final Wild Card spot.#NHLStats: https://t.co/ALcisjeAef pic.twitter.com/9nGP75uS8I

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 24, 2023

The game seemingly turned the Sabres' way in the second when Tampa Bay's Nick Paul took a foolish cross-check penalty on Rasmus Dahlin away fom the play at center ice. The Sabres then took a 2-1 lead at 9:36 as Thompson scored on the tail end of a Jeff Skinner pass. But the power-play goal was made in the Buffalo zone as Dahlin  broke up an odd-man rush by Brandon Hagel and fed the puck to Skinner. 

Skinner's long stretch pass found Thompson for a breakaway at 12:20 and started a three-goal uprising in 65 seconds. Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman scored at 12:36 but Buffalo's Quinn answered at 13:25 to put the Sabres back in front, 4-2. 

Things got crazy in the third and the OT until Lyubushkin made the night's biggest play in a game full of them.

"You just felt he was gonna score," Granato said. "It was, 'This is too good to be true' that this guy that is loved by his teammates the way he is, brings so much positive energy .. and lo and behold he's in that situation."

"If you see my statistics, I have not scored a lot. It's always fun," Lyubushkin said. "I'm glad to score for Buffalo Sabres. It's my team. It's nice. It's great to be here. Great guys, Unbelievable teammates. Young team, good vibes here. It's a joy to play hockey here."

Here are some other observations on the game:

1. In the nets

Comrie was burned by Stamkos' bar-down snapshot at 2:19 of the first period and battled hard after that, making 36 saves. There were some spotty moments but he was a rock in OT against both Kucherov and Stamkos.

"We could have just backed down and they could have rolled over us but 'Coms' kept us in the game," said Dahlin.

2. By the numbers

• Buffalo got within two points of the final playoff spot, currently shared by Detroit and Florida, and got even in points with Washington, a loser to Anaheim. The Sabres have four games in hand on the Caps.

• Despite losing, the Lightning's franchise-record point streak at home was extended to 16 games (14-0-2). Buffalo is 15-3-2 in its last 20 on the road.

• Vasilevskiy entered the game 12-1-1 vs. Buffalo with a 1.77 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage and two shutouts.

3. Next

The Sabres hit the skies right after the game to head to Sunrise, and the game against the Panthers in FLA Live Arena faces off Friday at 7 p.m.

Then comes another big game Sunday at 1 p.m. in KeyBank Center against the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin returned to the Caps' lineup Thursday after being away from the team while attending the funeral of his father in Russia.