The Buffalo Sabres picked up an impressive, come-from-behind overtime win on Tuesday night over the potent Minnesota Wild.
Some injury news after the game involving Josh Doan may have soured things just a bit.
It’s just game three, and so the Sabres won’t take for granted the vibrant victory.
They just also will be hoping that nothing too bad is going on with Doan at the moment.
Josh Doan Injury Update
It first became somewhat clear that Doan was dealing with something when he only played three shifts in the third period on Tuesday.
That’s a lot less than a middle-six forward would generally get, and so it brought up some concern.
After the game, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff admitted Doan was “struggling a bit,” according to The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn.
Ruff then shared with reporters that Doan has been dealing with a lower-body injury.
Josh Doan had three shifts in the third period tonight. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said he was struggling a bit. Ruff attributed some of that to a lower body issue that’s been nagging him. Said he has all the faith in the world that Doan will find his game.
— Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) October 7, 2026
Doan has yet to record a point through three games this season.
Last year, Doan’s first with the Sabres, he had 25 goals and 27 assists in 82 games to go with 78 hits. The right-winger is still just 24 years old (and the son of the legendary Shane Doan), so he’s believed to still be a star on the rise.
Buffalo would both like to see him pick up his production but also not get hurt, so there’s plenty to monitor here going forward.
How Sabres Beat Wild
Doan’s injury couldn’t overshadow the great result entirely.
In a game between two playoff teams from last year, neither team scored in the first period.
The Wild then scored both goals in the second period, one after 13 minutes of the second and another two minutes after that.
The Sabres needed to breakthrough early in the third to have a chance, and it was Noah Ostlund cutting the deficit in half with a goal assisted by Owen Power and Rasmus Dahlin after just 3:55 had been played in the final period.
Then it was Tage Thompson to tie the game at 2-2 with about 10 minutes to play, assisted by Peyton Krebs.
The Sabres needed more than four minutes in overtime for Power to score the game-winning goal with assists from Jiri Kulich and Thompson.
The Wild had won their first two games, and they’re expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. With the Sabres on home ice, this was a thrilling win for Buffalo to pull off.
As long as Doan isn’t hurt too badly, the Sabres will hold onto this win quite fondly.
Josh Doan Injury Update Spoils Sabres’ Thrilling OT Win