Jason Pominville scores 2 against the Penguins in his return to the Buffalo lineup.
UINVERSITY PARK, PA. — Jack Eichel scored less than a minute into overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 4-3 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Pegula Ice Arena on the Penn State campus.
Defenseman Matt Tennyson tied it 3-3 with 2:39 remaining after defenseman Olli Maatta scored a power-play goal at 8:12 of the third period to put the Penguins ahead 3-2 in their preseason opener.
Jason Pominville scored two goals for the Sabres. It was his first game back with Buffalo since being acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild on June 30; the 34-year-old forward did not play in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.
Pominville, who played for the Sabres from 2003-13 after they selected him in the second round (No. 55) of the 2001 NHL Draft, put Buffalo ahead 2-1 at 10:38 of the second period. Center Jay McClement, who is in Pittsburgh training camp on a professional tryout, scored 2:34 into the third period to tie it 2-2.
Pominville gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead 7:19 into the game, but Penguins forward prospect Zachary Aston-Reese tied it 1-1 less than a minute into the second period.
When Pominville was traded back to the Sabres in June, his son’s first reaction was excitement over the fact that dad would be getting a chance to play with Jack Eichel. What he may not have known was how quickly that chance would come.
Pominville made his preseason debut on a line with Eichel and Evander Kane against the Pittsburgh. The trio has practiced together since the start of camp, and Pominville already seems to have a feel for Eichel’s style at center.
“His skating is really good, but he’s also got the ability to slow the game down because of his puck skills and his size,” Pominville said. “And then he can go from zero to 60 pretty quick too, even if he slows the game down. He likes to take his time with the puck, slow the game down and then take a couple strides and he’s already full speed. That’s pretty impressive.”
Griffith, Bailey to play back-to-back
It’s no accident that Seth Griffith and Justin Bailey are the only two carryovers from Monday’s lineup to tonight’s. They’re two of the leading candidates to compete for a roster spot on the wing out of camp, which Sabres coach Phil Housley addressed during his pregame comments.
“We just want to see what they have to offer,” Housley said. “With the numbers, I thought it was a good idea to see them in another environment, see how they can adjust to a back-to-back game. This is an important time for those players.”
Griffith, 24, is a proven scorer at the AHL level, having scored 77 points in 57 games with Providence two seasons ago and 44 points in 38 games for the Toronto Marlies last season. What he hasn’t done is stick in the NHL, although he did play 24 games last year for the Maple Leafs and Panthers.
When Griffith signed a one-year deal on July 1, Sabres management expressed confidence that he would compete for an NHL spot. Part of the reason is his fit in Housley’s system, and he was already able to score a goal on the rush on Monday.