Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn't able to bail out the Sabres when they began to make mistakes in the second period. Their starting goalie was outplayed by Penguins backup Alex Nedeljkovic, as Pittsburgh scored four consecutive goals and held on for a 5-2 win in KeyBank Center.

Luukkonen was sharp in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Carolina as he turned aside 35 shots. Luukkonen is 14-13-4 with a pair of shutouts, a 2.99 GAA and an .898 save percentage. The Penguins are averaging 2.96 goals per game in 2024-25.

The Penguins snapped a three-game losing streak, improving to 19-20-8. The Sabres, now 17-23-5, will look to address their defensive and penalty-kill issues. Earlier this season they lost 11 straight games and have lost five of their last eight games.

Back on Oct. 16 in Pittsburgh, the Buffalo Sabres started the habit of blowing leads. Buffalo had a 2-0 and 3-1 first period lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins, only to lose in overtime on a Sidney Crosby overtime goal,

Nedeljkovic became the first goalie in NHL history to have a goal and an assist in a game during the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres.

Nedeljkovic scored when he sent the puck from behind the net down the ice and into an empty net with 2:42 left in the third.

They were faster than the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres weren't perfect defensively, but they allowed only six shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of regulation. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wasn't ...