BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Jiri Kulich scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 2:04 left, and the Buffalo Sabres overcame blowing a two-goal lead for a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night.

Jason Zucker and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Sabres in an outing they allowed three straight goals after building a 2-0 first-period lead. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 28 shots.

Brady Skjei had a goal and an assist for Nashville, which has dropped three straight since enjoying a five-game win streak. Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak also scored for Nashville and Justus Annunen stopped 23 shots.

Zucker tied the game at 3 by deflecting in Alex Tuch’s centering pass with 7:34 left in the second period. Tage Thompson set up Kulich on the winner by hitting the brakes at the right point. His pass hit Kulich on the fly up the left wing, where he beat Annunen on the short side.

Rasmus Dahlin set up two goals to move ahead of Mike Ramsey for second among Sabres defensemen with 257 assists, and tie Ramsey for second for most career points (329) among Buffalo blue-liners.

Kulich's 2nd goal lifts the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators | iNFOnews.ca — Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) celebrates after his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Nashville Predators, Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Takeaways

Predators: Their 18 wins through 50 games matched the second-fewest in team history. Nashville had 17 wins through 50 games in 2002-03.

Sabres: Improved to 15-12-5 when scoring the opening goal. Buffalo’s 17 losses are an NHL-worst.

Key moment

Sabres honored former enforcer-turned-broadcaster Rob Ray by inducting him into team’s hall of fame during pregame ceremony. Ray played 14 of 16 seasons in Buffalo and his 3,207 career penalty minutes ranks sixth on the league list.

Key stat

Predators captain Roman Josi appeared in his 955th career game with Nashville, one short of matching the franchise record held by David Legwand.

Up next

Nashville wraps up a Fathers-Sons two-game road trip at Pittsburgh on Saturday, while Buffalo continues four-game homestand hosting New Jersey on Sunday.