Chances are you’ve never heard of Marc-Andre Gragnani unless you’re a Buffalo Sabres fan. Chances are similar that Carolina Hurricanes fans have never heard of him either but they’re not going to forget him after today.
Gragnani scored 2:56 into overtime to give the Sabres a 2-1 win. The goal was Gragnani’s first career NHL goal and it’s one that might help put the Sabres into the postseason. If you’re going to make an impression on your team, doing it this way is the best way possible. Jhonas Enroth making his third start in row in Ryan Miller’s absence made 35 saves to lead the way in goal.
Cam Ward made 29 saves in the losing effort and for the Hurricanes, they sit two points back of the Rangers for eighth place after earning the point for going to overtime.
The win for Buffalo puts them back into seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, jumping ahead of the Rangers by one point. The Rangers shootout win over the Flyers earlier in the afternoon had put them in seventh for a few hours, but the Sabres with 90 points now move up. Buffalo is just one point behind Montreal for sixth place in the East.