RALEIGH, N.C. _ Again, it went to a shootout.
This time, the Carolina Hurricanes and goalie Cam Ward won it.
Lee Stempniak and Sebastian Aho scored in the shootout Saturday and Ward denied the Sabres' Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel for a 2-1 win at PNC Arena.
The victory came a night after the Canes dropped a 4-3 decision to the Washington Capitals. Ward took the loss, allowing a pair of shootout goals.
Not this time. Ward finished with 23 saves, then got the job done in the shootout for the Canes (13-11-7). Ward was named the game's first star.
Joakim Nordstrom's first-period goal gave the Canes a 1-0 lead. That stood up until the final three minutes of regulation, when Evander Kane finally got a puck past Ward to tie the score for Buffalo.
Kane's score, off a tip in front, came with 2:37 left in the third. Ward later stopped a shot by Eichel, and the Canes' Elias Lindholm missed the net on an open shot in the final seconds.
In the overtime, Eichel and Kane had chances to end it, and Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson denied Jeff Skinner, then Teuvo Teravainen.
Neither team was lacking jump despite both finishing off a back-to-back. The Canes felt they played well in the loss Friday to the Capitals, and the Sabres flew in off a 3-2 win at home over the New York Islanders.
The pace was good, even if the execution was spotty at times. The checking was tight and good shots hard to generate.
Nordstrom's goal, his third, came after defenseman Brett Pesce lifted the puck out of the Canes zone. With the puck bouncing in the slot in the Sabres' end, Buffalo defenseman Zach Bogosian missed with a backhanded swipe, allowing Jay McClement to get off a shot.
Nordstrom, trailing the play, slipped past defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to beat Nilsson with a blocker-side shot.
Canes coach Bill Peters made a line change for the game, moving the speedy Nordstrom to the fourth line with McClement and Viktor Stalberg. Nordstrom's goal was his second in four games.
After Nordstrom's goal, the Canes had chances to add to the lead in the first. But they couldn't get off a shot on a poor power play, then had some near-misses.
Victor Rask found the post with an attempt late in the period, then was stopped by Sabres goalie Anders Nilsson on an open shot moments later.
Faulk, prevented the Sabres from tying the score in the final minute of the first. With Ward positioned at the right post, Faulk went to left post as Rasmus Ristolainen attempted a wraparound, Faulk getting his stick on the puck.
The Sabres wouldn't let Skinner shake loose in the first period. Skinner, after scoring three goals in the past two games, didn't have a shot in the first period and rarely touched the puck, but was more active in the second.
Had Nilsson not been sharp in the second, the Canes could have built a bigger cushion. He stopped Teuvo Teravainen off the rush, then did the same to Canes defenseman Matt Tennyson.
Skinner manufactured some scoring chances late, getting the puck to the paint and forcing Nilsson to make some active saves.
The third period was a flurry of activity, with some crunching hits. Bogosian hammered Stalberg along the boards, and Tennyson later did the same to Kane. Stalberg got into a push and shove with Ristolainen.
The Sabres were a team the Canes couldn't beat a year ago, going 0-2-1, although the Canes were 5-1-1 against Buffalo in the past seven games at PNC Arena.
In keeping with the Canes' quirky scheduling this year, they'll face Sabres again next week in Buffalo after a game Monday against the Detroit Red Wings at PNC Arena.
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