Buffalo Sabres goalie Malcolm Subban (47) makes a save during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)

PITTSBURGH – It was a game that felt like a do-over for Malcolm Subban in the Buffalo Sabres' net.

His debut with the Sabres on Dec. 4 in Carolina was a disaster, as he gave up six goals on 25 shots and left early with a right leg injury. Subban lost again Friday night but it wasn't his fault. In fact, he was almost entirely the reason the Sabres got a point.

Subban made a career-high 45 saves – including 20 in the first period – in the Sabres' 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in PPG Paints Arena. Jeff Carter scored the game-winner off a Kris Letang pass on a 2-on-1 break with 2:07 left in OT after the Sabres had battled back from a 2-0 deficit in the second period. Pittsburgh has won six straight.

In a back-to-back and playing their third game in four nights on this road trip, the Sabres were outshot in the game, 48-21. They finished the trip 2-0-1 and are on their first four-game point streak (2-0-2) since Dec. 7-14, 2019.

"You never know how you're going to feel. There's a lot of good players over there and made some really nice plays," Subban said. "But I felt pretty good. I was seeing it pretty good. And just tried to keep it up the whole game."

"Great performance, gut check by our guys," said coach Don Granato. "Battled for teammates, for the team, 'Subi' was great in net. Big players step up. Subi stepped up early for us and it gave us that opportunity to keep pushing through the game."

The Penguins quickly fired on Subban, getting six shots on one early power play. They finally beat him on ex-Sabre Evan Rodrigues' wrist shot from the right circle at 5:53, one Subban deflected but let dribble under his right arm and into the net.

The Penguins outshot Buffalo, 21-5, in the opening 20 minutes as Subban prevented any other damage. He was moving quickly in the crease, showing no signs of the injury, and lit up social media with a highlight-reel stop on Rodrigues by reaching behind his body with his left arm and propelling the puck off his glove and out of harm's way.

It was Dominik Hasek slinky-for-a-spine stuff and it held up a couple minutes later on video as replays proved inconclusive about the puck being over the goal line.

"Honestly I didn't even know it happened. I thought someone hit my glove," Subban said. "I didn't know it was the puck. I had no idea. (Backup Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen) asked me if I hit it with my glove. I thought maybe like a stick hit my glove or something. I didn't know."

What was Subban's arm doing torqued behind him?

"I don't know. I honestly don't know," he said, failing to conceal his laughter. "I guess it's a bad habit -- but it turned out to be a good thing."

"I have to watch it again to appreciate it," Granato said. "It showed his athleticism. He's an incredible athlete."

Here's are some more thoughts from Friday night's game:

1. The tie and the win

The Sabres got this one even at 2-2 on Rasmus Dahlin's goal with 5:18 to play, a quick wrist shot from the slot off a super pass out of the right corner from Rasmus Asplund. It was Dahlin's sixth goal of the season and third of the trip.

Carter's game-winner came after he won a faceoff at center ice with Cody Eakin, who tried to jump the draw and was caught out of position as the Penguins broke in on the odd-man rush.

2. Big debut

Casey Fitzgerald came up from Rochester and was in the thick of the action in his first NHL game. Playing right defense alongside Jacob Bryson, Fitzgerald was in the starting lineup and got a shot on goal during a shift against the line centered by Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby.

He had his first NHL fight in the second period, going toe to toe with Pittsburgh's Sam Lafferty after a big hit by Lafferty on Sabres winger Vinnie Hinostroza. His parents were both in the stands at the game and his father, Tom, is the general manager of the New Jersey Devils and won a Stanley Cup here in 2009 as the Penguins' assistant GM. 

Casey Fitzgerald returned from the penalty box and got his first NHL point, an assist on a point shot that Zemgus Girgensons potted a rebound off of at 12:35 of the second.

"It was so fun. That was awesome," said Casey Fitzgerald, a third-round pick in 2016. "I found out two days ago. So just a crazy two days. But that was a lot of fun. It was a nice for us to get a point there. I wish we got two but that was just an awesome experience."

3. The missing

Defenseman Will Butcher joined forward Anders Bjork out of the lineup with what the Sabres are terming as non-Covid illnesses. But that doesn't mean the club is letting its guard down, given the sudden uptick in Covid cases around the league.

"Very concerned and we're very pro-active with both of these guys," Granato said. "We're limiting them around the rest of the group the first sign of symptoms. Obviously getting them tested right away. ... A very elusive thing we're all dealing with culturally. The only thing we can do is work hard to minimize it."

4. Schedule change

The Colorado Avalanche's season was put on pause Friday by the NHL, so their game Wednesday in KeyBank Center against the Sabres has been postponed. There is no makeup date yet and the Sabres said they will communicate with ticket holders in the coming days.

5. Next

The Sabres flew home after the game and will take Saturday off. They practice Sunday and host Columbus Monday night. The teams meet again Thursday in Nationwide Arena for their final game prior to the NHL holiday break.

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