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Sabres beat Sharks in shootout

Nov 6, 2013 - 7:43 AM San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cody Hodgson scored in the fourth round of the shootout to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-4 win over the San Jose Sharks.

After Tomas Hertl was stopped, Hodgson skated in on net and went back and forth with the puck before slamming on the brakes and snapping the puck into the net.

Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford both had a goal and an assist, while Henrik Tallinder and Cody McCormick also lit the lamp for the Sabres, who snapped a four-game slide. Ryan Miller made 47 saves to backstop the victory.

"To go on the road and play a team like San Jose and come in here and get two points is a big thing for us," Sabres head coach Ron Rolston said.

Hertl had a goal and an assist, while Marty Havlat, Tommy Wingels and Tyler Kennedy all scored for the Sharks, who have lost three straight games, all after regulation. Antti Niemi made 32 stops in the loss.

"We didn't give up and we played hard, but we just couldn't close it out," said Sharks captain Joe Thornton. "It was nice to come back like that in the third period, but we gave them too much and they took advantage of it."

The only goal of the first period went to San Jose after Brad Stuart's shot from the right point was deflected into the slot and Havlat was there to backhand it in at 8:48.

Buffalo tied the game at 2:36 of the second after a turnover in the San Jose zone saw a quick pass from the right point by Jamie McBain find Stafford, whose shot from the slot trickled through the pads of Niemi.

About 3 1/2 minutes later, the Sabres took a 2-1 lead. The puck was lost in the shuffle after a left circle faceoff and McCormick snapped it in for his first of the season.

Buffalo made it a 3-1 game at 1:20 of the third on the power play as Matt Moulson chipped a loose puck from the low left circle back to Hodgson, who skated low before backhanding the puck to the other side, where Ennis shot it home.

San Jose got one back two minutes later as Marc-Edouard Vlasic's shot from the right boards was stopped, but Kennedy was in front to backhand in the rebound.

Hertl tied the game at 4:29 of the third on a wraparound from the right side that got past Miller.

The scoring kept coming as Tallinder gave Buffalo a 4-3 lead at 7:28 when he shot in a loose puck in the slot after the team had a couple of chances in front.

San Jose, though, tied the game with 3:46 to play in regulation as Hertl swept the puck on net from the right side and it sat in the crease before Wingels dove to push it in.

Game Notes

San Jose hosts Vancouver on Thursday ... Buffalo plays in Los Angeles on Thursday and Anaheim on Friday to wrap up its three-game California road trip ... Buffalo has won five straight and seven of eight against San Jose ... Buffalo was 1-for-3 on the power play and San Jose finished 0-for-4.