Jake Guentzel’s Hat Trick Leads Lightning to a 6-5 Win Over the Sabres

Jake Guentzel scored three times in the second period to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning back from a two-goal deficit and defeat the Buffalo Sabres 6-5.

The Lightning are now 9-1 in their last 10 games, while the Sabres suffered their fifth straight defeat.

Nick Paul opened the scoring in a very active period, but that lead only lasted 16 seconds as Rasmus Dahlin scored for the Sabres to even the score. The Lightning recaptured the lead 34 seconds later on a Darren Raddyish goal.

The two teams combined for three goals in 50 seconds, marking the third-fastest three goals by both teams this season behind the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators on Jan. 21 (0:38) and Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 7 (0:49).

THROW 'EM ???? https://t.co/8oo5XSNI8L pic.twitter.com/aPrNCZbQa9

Related: 3 Takeaways From the Sabres’ 2-1 Game 5 Loss to the Bruins · Sabres Starting Alex Lyon Has Swung Playoff Series · Sabres Player Playoff Spotlight: Peyton Krebs

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 7, 2025

The Sabres answered with goals from Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs and took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission. Zach Benson got an assist on the Krebs goal, reaching the 50-point mark in his career and becoming the fifth Sabres player with 50 points as a teenager.

The Lightning wasted little time tying the game in the second period, as Guentzel scored less than a minute into the period. With that goal, he became the second-fastest player in Lightning history to reach 30 goals with the club.

The Sabres scored the next two goals, a Tage Thompson power-play goal and an unassisted JJ Peterka goal. Peterka scored after stealing the puck away from a careless Nikita Kucherov, who was then benched the rest of the period by head coach Jon Cooper.

Guentzel scored with just over two minutes left in the second period to bring the Lightning within one and picked up his third goal of the period on a power-play opportunity with just over a minute left in the period. It was his sixth multi-goal outing of the season. Only two players have more: Leon Draisaitl (8) and William Nylander (7). His seven hat tricks are tied for the third-most among active U.S.-born players.

The Lightning took the lead in the third period when Yanni Gourde and Kucherov assisted on an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal. Gourde and Bjorkstrand were acquired the previous day in a trade with the Seattle Kraken.

The Sabres had one last chance to tie the game late in the third period when Brandon Hagel and Ryan McDonagh took penalties to put them on the power play, but they could not convert on the opportunity.