Tavares scores 499th goal in overtime as Maple Leafs top Sabres

John Tavares scored his 499th career goal on a breakaway at 1:28 of overtime as the Toronto Maple Leafs snapped a three-game slide with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Nick Robertson, Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua provided the rest of the offence for Toronto (4-4-1). Cayden Primeau made 23 saves in place of the rested Anthony Stolarz. Tavares added an assist, and Matthew Knies had two of his own.

Tage Thompson scored twice and Bowen Byram had a single for Buffalo (4-4-1). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 18 shots for the Sabres, who entered having won four of their last five.

Thompson and Robertson traded goals in the first period. Maccelli and Byram did the same in the second before Thompson and Joshua repeated the feat in the third to set up the OT dramatics.

The Sabres picked up a 5-3 victory over the Leafs on Friday in Buffalo to snap a five-game slide against Toronto.

The Leafs were minus star winger William Nylander, who was listed as a game-time decision, because of a lower-body injury.

Leafs: No. 1 defencemen Morgan Rielly was also a game-time decision, but was healthy enough to play after taking warm-up. Nylander sat out for the first time in 267 regular-season contests dating back to April 2022.

Sabres: Luukkonen made his first start of the season after missing the first eight games with a lower-body injury. Alex Lyon picked up Friday’s victory.

After the visitors went up 3-2 in the third on a Thompson power-play goal, Joshua tied the score with under seven minutes to go in regulation.

Tavares sits one goal shy of becoming the 49th player in NHL history to reach 500 for his career.

Sabres: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Leafs: Host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

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