Blackhawks close rough season with 3-2 OT loss to Sabres
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Casey Mittelstadt scored 2:07 into overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night in the final game for two non-playoff teams.
Tage Thompson scored his 38th goal for the Sabres, and defenseman Owen Power, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, added his second goal in eight NHL games.
Buffalo (32-39-11) rallied for its fifth win in six games to close out its 12th consecutive season missing the playoffs, an NHL record. Dustin Tokarski made 19 saves.
Dominik Kubalik and Dylan Strome scored for the Blackhawks (28-42-12). Collin Delia stopped 33 shots.
Chicago snapped a two-game win streak to conclude a disappointing season. The Blackhawks finished 14th in the Western Conference with their lowest point percentage (. 415) in 16 seasons. It's the fourth time in five season the Blackhawks haven't been in the playoffs after winning three Stanley Cups from 2010 to 2015.
This season was clouded by the resignation of general manager and president of hockey operations Stan Bowman in October after a report by an outside law firm found the organization mishandled allegations that an assistant coach sexually assaulted a player during the team's Stanley Cup run in 2010.
Despite placing 13th in the Eastern Conference and extending their postseason drought, the Sabres saw several young players develop and ended up with a 16-9-3 record over the final two months of the season.
Mittelstadt poked in the rebound from Dylan Cozens' shot for the winning goal, his sixth of the season.
Rookie defenseman Alex Vlasic recorded his first NHL assist on the Blackhawks' opening goal at 9:47 of the second period.
Lafferty gets new deal:
The Blackhawks on Friday signed forward Sam Lafferty to a two-year extension that carries a $1.15 million cap hit. Lafferty, acquired from Pittsburgh for Alex Nylander earlier this season, had 5 goals and 6 assists for the Hawks in 46 games.
"Sam's speed and up-tempo style is the brand of hockey we hope to see the team play over the coming years," GM Kyle Davidson said in a statement. "He has showcased those skills since we acquired him. Sam adds a dynamic to our roster that allows him to fit seamlessly throughout the lineup and give our coaches a reliable forward that can be trusted in nearly every situation."
This and that:
Injured Sabres goalie Malcolm Subban, a former Blackhawk, sang the national anthem before the game. ... Blackhawks defenseman Jake McCabe received brief recognition on the video scoreboard in his first game back in Buffalo since signing a four-year contract with Chicago during the offseason. McCabe played 353 games in eight seasons with the Sabres.