The Carolina Hurricanes fell, 3-2, to the Buffalo Sabres in a hotly-contested game at PNC Arena Tuesday night.

Facing all kinds of adversity after multiple questionable penalty calls, the Hurricanes (31-28-14) battled back to take the lead until it suddenly evaporated in the final four minutes, with the Sabres (30-34-10) scoring two goals in a minute span.

The Canes controlled the play early and almost took the lead when forward Jeff Skinner produced a stellar scoring opportunity on the back door, set up by a cross-ice pass from forward Victor Rask, but was ultimately robbed by Sabres netminder Chad Johnson.

The Sabres took the lead as a slap shot from defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo deflected off the stick of a Canes’ player and into the net past Carolina goaltender Cam Ward. The goal was Colaiacovo’s first of the season in his 34th game played.

Following the goal, Buffalo began to take over and control the play until Carolina produced another grade-A scoring chance. Canes forward Nathan Gerbe looked like he had the game-tying goal when Johnson, once again, came up with a huge save.

In the dying seconds of the first period, Ward came up with a timely save of his own, keeping the Canes down just a goal heading into intermission.

With both teams playing evenly in the first half of the second period, Carolina tied it on a goal from forward Chris Terry. Rookie defenseman Noah Hanifin created the play, jumping up to lead the rush, and hitting Terry in stride with a pass that traveled almost the entire width of the ice, leaving Johnson with no chance to make another highlight-reel save.

Tempers flared in the latter stages of the period with two Sabres — forwards Marcus Foligno and Johan Larrson — jumping Skinner after he slashed a Buffalo player. Larrson took Skinner to the ground and proceeded to punch him multiple times in the head, yet somehow Skinner was the only player to receive a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

“Sometimes there’s a battle and you just play the game; then there’s times when you can’t really take it.” Skinner said. “ There’s only so much you can take really before you don’t take it anymore.”

The Sabres were gifted a four-minute power play in the third period when the officials gave a penalty to Canes forward Brad Malone for a weak cross check, plus an additional unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for expressing his displeasure with the call.

Carolina showed its resiliency and toughness, killing off all four minutes of the Sabres power play, and scoring to take the lead just seconds after the penalty concluded. Forward Joakim Nordstrom received a pass just inside the blue line, put a spin move on a defender and ripped it past the glove of Johnson.

“We were in good shape,” Carolina head coach Bill Peters said. “I thought the penalty kill was outstanding — probably the best part of our game. I know we only gave up two shots there around that four-minute segment.” 

Buffalo tied it with less than four minutes in the final period when forward Evander Kane was left uncovered in the low slot and found the back of the net.

Just a minute later, Skinner and Larsson met again; this time Skinner turned the puck over in the Canes’ zone, and Larsson got the last laugh by scoring the game-winning goal off the mistake.

“Honestly, I gotta get the puck out there in the last three minutes,” Skinner said. “You gotta get pucks out, and I didn’t get it out there. He made us pay.”