Sabres 5, Coyotes 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Left winger Evander Kane scored two goals to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night.
Center Sam Reinhart, left winger Jamie McGinn and left winger Marcus Foligno also scored for the Sabres (11-12-3). Goalie Chad Johnson made 18 saves.
Left winger Max Domi scored twice for the Coyotes (13-12-1). Goalie Mike Smith made 23 saves.
Domi opened the scoring with 5:36 remaining in the first period on a tremendous one-man effort. After receiving a breakout pass from center Martin Hanzal, the standout rookie raced in alone down the left side of the ice before cutting inside and lifting a backhand shot to the glove side.
Reinhart evened the score at 7:17 of the second period on an impressive individual effort. After taking the puck past the end line, he tucked a backhand deke inside the near post with Smith out of position for his seventh goal of the year.
With Buffalo turning up the pressure, McGinn made it 2-1 with 6:27 remaining in the second period on a one-timer. Rookie Jack Eichel lifted a soft pass to McGinn in the slot and the left winger buried a slap shot between Smith's legs.
Kane scored the winner 2:40 into the third period. After center Zemgus Girgensons forced a turnover at the center of the ice, Kane raced in alone on a breakaway and ripped a hard wrist shot to the glove side.
Domi picked up his second goal 6:42 into the third period to cut Buffalo's lead to 3-2. With several players battling for the puck after a faceoff inside the left circle, the puck fell to Domi, whose wrist shot made it through traffic for his 10th goal of the year.
Foligno made it 4-2 with 8:16 remaining with a goal from a bad angle to the right of the Arizona net.
Coyotes defenseman Nicklas Grossman appeared to quickly pull Arizona back within one moments later, but his goal was overturned after a replay review. Before Grossman's shot found the net, center Martin Hanzal's stick interfered with Johnson's glove.
Kane added an empty-net goal with 52 seconds remaining.
NOTES: D Mike Weber was scratched for the Sabres. ... RW Shane Doan, D Connor Murphy and C Dustin Jeffrey were scratched for the Coyotes. Doan has now missed six games due to a lower-body injury but is expected to return in the near future. ... This was Sabres LW Matt Moulson's 500th career game. Moulson, 32, has played for the Sabres, New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild in his nine-year career. He entered the NHL with the Kings in the 2007-08 season. ... This is the first of two meetings between the Sabres and Coyotes this season. They meet against in Arizona on Monday, Jan. 18.