Ryan McLeod scored three goals for his first career hat trick and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2.

The Sabres haven’t found the right partner for Power since he was drafted first overall in 2021 and arrived in the NHL in March 2022.

FINAL | Sabres 4 - Hurricanes 2 Lindy Ruff addresses the media Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen addresses the media Dylan Cozens addresses the media Ryan McLeod addresses the media The Sabres conclude their three-game homestand Friday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tickets are available here.

Alex Nedeljkovic left his crease as soon as the Pittsburgh Penguins goalie saw one of the Sabres send the puck behind his net late in the third period Friday night.

Alex Nedeljkovic became the second goaltender in Pittsburgh Penguins history to score a goal during a 5-2 victory against the host Buffalo Sabres on Friday at KeyBank Center. His score came on an empty net at 17 minutes,

The Buffalo Sabres are on the brink of allowing their playoff drought to continue into its 14th season, despite rebuild after rebuild. First, there was the “tank for Connor McDavid”, but they failed at that and ended up with Jack Eichel instead.

The Buffalo Sabres have been struggling to do much of anything to the halfway point of this season. They have a record of 17-22-5, which is good for being last in the Eastern Conference and 29th overall in the NHL.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff swapped Ryan McLeod and Dylan Cozens atop the lineup during the win over the Hurricanes, a move that paid immediate dividends with both players scoring goals on their new lines.

Absent some long winning streak, the Sabres are toast. There have been 77 winning streaks in the NHL of at least five games since the last time the Sabres won even four in a row in January 2023.

The Sabres are 16-22-5, and they have only 12 regulation wins through 43 games, while their 37 points are fourth-fewest among the NHL's 32 teams. Coach Lindy Ruff wants to see his players change their mindset.

The Senators are lacking internal depth especially in the their bottom six, so they need to turn to the trade market to stay competitive.

"The losing culture that has permeated this organization for the past 14 years won’t change if the plan is to wait for these young players to figure it out on their own," writes Lance Lysowski.