Josh Doan opens and closes scoring in the Sabres' wild and feisty 8-7 victory over the Lightning

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Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) and Buffalo Sabres center Peyton Krebs fight during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) — Buffalo Sabres right wing Josh Doan (91) celebrates his goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Audio By Carbonatix

9:25 PM on Sunday, March 8

By JOE YERDON

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Doan opened and closed the scoring with power-play goals and the Buffalo Sabres outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 8-7 on Sunday night in a wild and feisty showdown for the Atlantic Division lead.

Doan broke a tie with 4:17 left with his 21st goal of the season, helping the Sabres win their seventh straight and move two points ahead of the Lighting.

The teams combined for 100 penalty minutes in a game that included five fights and a postgame scrum. They’ll meet one more time in the regular season on April 6 in Buffalo.

Doan capped a two-goal, third-period comeback for Buffalo in a game the Sabres led by three goals.

Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker also scored twice for the Sabres. Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin added goals, Tage Thompson had four assists and Bo Byram three. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves.

Nikita Kucherov had two goals and an assist for the Lightning, who have lost five of their last six. J.J. Moser, Corey Perry, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, and Zemgus Girgensons also scored, and Jonas Johansson made 34 saves.

Up next

Lightning: Host Columbus on Tuesday night.

Sabres: Host San Jose on Tuesday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl