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Stamkos' tally in OT lifts Lightning past Sabres

Mar 30, 2014 - 4:41 AM Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Steven Stamkos scored the game-winning goal 1:53 into overtime to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

After Drew Stafford was whistled for hooking less than a minute into the extra session, Stamkos beat Matt Hackett with a power-play laser glove side. Stamkos pushed a pass to Valtteri Filppula on the end line and he shoveled right back for a one-timer from the right circle.

Stamkos finished with two goals and an assist while Ryan Callahan and Alex Killorn finished with a goal apiece for the Lightning, winners in seven of their last nine games. Ben Bishop allowed two goals on 28 shots in the win.

Cody Hodgson and Matt D'Agostini had one goal apiece and Cory Conacher was awarded a goal after Stamkos put one in his own net in the third period.

"We just have to come in here, focus and play our game. The boys bounced around, they did a great job," Hackett said.

With the game tied a 2-2 and just over eight minutes played in the third, Stamkos fired a puck back to the blue line on a delayed penalty. The puck squirted through the Buffalo zone and slid all the way into an empty net to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead.

"I've seen it a couple times, never live," Stamkos said. "You see it on the highlights. I'm sure I'll make them now in the un-top 10, but as soon as it went over our [defenseman's] stick I knew it had a pretty good chance to go in."

Callahan, though, tied the game less than two minutes later when he potted a power-play goal at the 10:07 mark. Teddy Purcell fired a shot to the far post from the left circle and Callahan was there to redirect the disc in front of the net to tie things up.

Earlier, Buffalo jumped out to a 2-0 lead after D'Agostini and Hodgson scored at 12:20 and 14:07 of the opening period.

The Lightning, however, scored a pair of goals in the final 2:08 of the frame to knot things up. First, Killorn blasted a slapper through at the 17:52 mark before Stamkos fired one through with 14 seconds to go in the first.

Game Notes

Despite missing nearly four months this season with a broken leg, Stamkos has 23 goals and 36 points ... Tampa Bay was 2-for-4 on power-play opportunities while killing off all three Sabres power-play chances ... The Lightning currently sit in third place in the Atlantic division with 91 points.