NEW YORK, 18 December 2005 — Chris Drury scored the game-winning goal in overtime and goalie Martin Biron won his 12th consecutive start as the Buffalo Sabres edged the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in National Hockey League play Friday in Pittsburgh.
Drury scored on a rebound at 1:32 of overtime on a Buffalo power play as Biron became the first goalie since New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur in 1997-98 to win 12 straight games.
The streaking Sabres, one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season, have won five straight games and 13 of their last 15 games.
Buffalo has also won eight straight games on the road, just two away from its franchise record of 10 in 1983-84 that set an NHL record that has since been equaled twice.
Pittsburgh got a late goal from Ziggy Palffy to tie the game in the third period, but still lost for the ninth time in 10 games and for the 24th time in 32 games.
Biron made 24 saves while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 23 shots in goal for the Penguins, in a game that featured 15 power plays. Buffalo wound up 3-for-8 with the extra man while the Penguins were 2-for-7 on the power play. After a scoreless first period, Daniel Briere, Jochen Hecht and Ales Kotalik scored for the Sabres in the second period to offset goals by Pittsburgh’s Michel Ouellet and Ryan Malone to put Buffalo up 3-2 after two periods.
Drury and Kotalik both had a goal and two assists for the Sabres, with all of their points coming on the power play.
In Chicago, Nikolai Khabibulin made 32 saves as the Blackhawks beat the Blues 5-1.
Andy Hilbert, Martin Lapointe, Mark Bell, Pavel Vorobiev and Jim Dowd scored for the Blackhawks, while Rene Borque added two assists.
Dean McAmmond scored for the Blues.
In Anaheim, Pavol Demitra and Alexander Frolov scored in the shootout as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-3.
Derek Armstrong, Dustin Brown, Petr Kanko scored in regulation for the Kings. Mathieu Garon made 42 saves in regulation and stopped both shots he faced in the shootout.
In San Jose, Joe Thornton had a goal and an assist as the San Jose Sharks beat the Washington Capitals 4-1. Jonathan Cheechoo, Milan Michalek and Alyn McCauley scored the other goals for the Sharks, winners of six straight. Evgeni Nabokov made 25 saves in goal for the Sharks. Ben Clymer scored the lone goal for the Capitals.
