McLeod scores in 4th straight game, Sabres hold off Stars

BUFFALO -- Ryan McLeod scored for a fourth straight game in a 4-2 win for the Buffalo Sabres against the Dallas Stars at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.

Owen Power had three assists, and Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch each had a goal and an assist for the Sabres (3-4-1), who have won two in a row. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 28 saves.

“Our team as a whole is just more mature,” Thompson said. “We got a lot of guys that have been here for a while, a lot of young guys that have learned. I think the biggest thing for us is puck management. … I think so far, everyone’s just committed to the game plan that we’re just going to put pucks behind them, we’re going to stay on the [defensive] side of pucks. …

“And I like where our game’s at right now. Obviously, the record’s not what we want, but I think we’re playing a lot better hockey than our record shows right now.”

Thomas Harley and Tyler Seguin scored for the Stars (5-2-0), who have lost two of three after winning four straight to start the season. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves.

“I thought the story of the game was their execution was better than ours,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “Power play included, but 5-on-5 too. And I thought they were hungrier than us. They blocked more shots, they won more battles, won more face-offs. Tough to go on the road and win if you're not as desperate as the other team.”

The Stars went 0-for-3 on the power play, including 0-for-2 with no shots on goal in the first period. They’re 2-for-21 with the man-advantage this season.

“It’s frustrating,” Dallas captain Jamie Benn said. “It seems like we haven’t really found it yet this year. I think probably tonight was just kind of a reflection of our 5-on-5 game. Just not working hard enough, not working hard enough away from the puck, supporting the puck, not winning any battles, and face-offs as well.”

Peyton Krebs gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 12:21 of the second period. Beck Malenstyn’s tip of a Power shot hit the crossbar, and Krebs batted the rebound out of the air past Oettinger.

McLeod received a pass from Jason Zucker on a 2-on-1 and put it stick side on Oettinger to make it 2-0 at 13:44.

The forward has four goals after scoring 12 in 81 games with the Edmonton Oilers last season. He was traded to the Sabres on July 5.

“That guy’s got some speed, for sure,” Krebs said of McLeod. “He’s a great guy off the ice and he works hard, he plays the right way. He brought that from Edmonton and it’s exciting. Four goals in four games, keep it rolling.”

Thompson one-timed a pass from Power at the top of the left circle to extend it to 3-0 at 4:17 of the third period.

“Heard ‘OP’ coming up the ice, heard him trailing, makes a great cross-ice pass to me for a one-T,” Thompson said. “I think with a goaltender like Oettinger, any time you can get him moving across the middle of the ice two times, it’s going to be tough for him to get back. That one felt good going in and gives us a nice cushion.”

With Oettinger pulled for the extra attacker, Harley narrowed it to 3-1 at 15:24 when his shot from the blue line deflected off Zucker’s stick and past a screened Luukkonen.

Oettinger was again pulled when Seguin, who missed the three previous games with a lower-body injury, picked up a loose rebound at the side of the net and scored at 17:48 to cut it to 3-2.

Tuch scored an empty-net goal at 19:49 for the 4-2 final.

“Real pleased,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “A little bit of a tough break in the end where the first one went off something and found its way in and then we didn’t really defend very well in the neutral zone on the second one, but that little bit doesn’t mar the fact I thought we played really well all night.”

NOTES: Seguin was plus-2 in 16:36 of ice time. … Stars defenseman Mathew Dumba returned after missing four games with a lower-body injury. He played 17:10.