Perfect it wasn't. The Buffalo Sabres still made it to 10.
After squandering a 2-0 lead in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the third period, Jeff Skinner scored 1:41 into overtime to seal a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night. BOXSCORE: Sabres 3, Sharks 2 (OT) Hockey Night in Canada podcast: Why are goalies so weird? "Well, you can count the grey hairs on the back of my head," coach Phil Housley said with a chuckle. "But the guys dug in."
Buffalo matched its longest winning streak in franchise history, and is enjoying the NHL's best run since the Columbus Blue Jackets won 16 in a row from Nov. 29, 2016, to Jan. 3, 2017.
Very few of the Sabres' wins have come easily since their last loss on Nov. 4.
Nine of the 10 games have been decided by one goal, and this marked the seventh one decided after regulation — and third in a row.
"When it's a tight game, we feel confident. If we're down we don't panic," said defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen, who opened the scoring with a deke around Brent Burns. "We believe."
Skinner sealed the victory with his team-leading 19th goal, and fifth in five games.
WATCH | Sabres tie franchise record with 10th-straight win:
Jeff Skinner scored his 19th goal of the season in overtime to give Buffalo a 3-2 win over San Jose. 0:35 The play began when Sharks goalie Martin Jones poked the puck away from Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin, who was driving to the net from the right circle. Skinner followed by beating Evander Kane to the loose puck, faked going to his forehand and backhanded a shot behind Jones.
"I lost sight of it, but Ras made a great play, made their goalie commit," Skinner said. "I just kind of walked into one that was in the slot."
Nathan Beaulieu also scored for Buffalo. Carter Hutton stopped the first 32 shots he faced and 36 overall to extend his personal-best winning streak to eight, during which he's allowed just 15 goals. NHL standings Joe Pavelski scored twice for the Sharks, while Jones stopped 28 shots and had little chance on any of the three goals.
The Sharks, coming off a 6-0 loss at Vegas on Saturday, earned a point to move into a tie with idle Calgary for the Pacific Division lead.
"We got shut out the other night, but all in all that game wasn't us. Tonight was better," Pavelski said.
Surprising surge to the top It's been a night-and-day season for the Sabres, who suddenly find themselves atop NHL's overall standings, one point ahead of Tampa Bay and Nashville, after both teams lost on Tuesday.
By improving to 17-6-2, the Sabres are eight wins short of matching last season's total, when they became the NHL's first team to finish 31st in the standings following the addition of the expansion Golden Knights. Buffalo has also won six straight at home to mark its best streak since a 7-0 run from Nov. 28 to Dec. 15, 2014.
"Obviously, it was really emotional last year being so bad," Beaulieu said. "I think everyone took it personally this off-season and it's showing."
The fans became so caught up in the excitement with Buffalo up 2-0 in the third period that they began counting to nine and then chanting: "We want 10!"
Buffalo has won 10 straight twice before, more recently by going 10-0 to open the 2006-07 season.
The Sabres can even poke fun at themselves, with much of it directed at Ristolainen's goal celebration in which he stomped his feet and twirled his stick as if it were a lasso.
"It was embarrassing. It was awful. He ruined a beautiful goal," Beaulieu said. "We'll have to work on it. But if he keeps finding the back of the net, it's fine by me."
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