HAMILTON, ON — Midway through the second period, Vinnie Hinostroza already accomplished a Gordie Howe hat trick, with a fight in the first period, then a goal and an assist on Peyton Krebs' goal in the second.
In the end, the Sabres beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the Heritage Classic outdoor game on Sunday evening.
He tallied another goal 5 minutes, 16 seconds into the third period break a tie and give the Sabres a 3-2 lead.
The Sabres outshot the Leafs, 13-8, in a scoreless first period. The floodgates opened in the second, when Ondrej Kase scored 40 seconds into the period, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead.
Krebs immediately responded with a goal off of a gorgeous pass from Hinostroza to tie the game at 1 just 42 seconds later.
Auston Matthews scored 2:57 into the second, with Craig Anderson getting a piece of the puck with his stick but not enough, and the Leafs led it 2-1 until Hinostroza tied it at 2 midway through the period. Toronto doubled up the Buffalo in second period shots, 18-9.
After Hinostroza put the Sabres up 3-2 in the third, Peyton Krebs tallied his second of the game to push Buffalo lead to 4-2 at 13:49 into the third.
The game started to get chippy again, when Matthews cross checked Rasmus Dahlin in the neck with 5:05 left in the game, and Dahlin responded with a punch. Both players were sent to the box for two minutes.
After Kyle Okposo went to the box for tripping and the Leafs pulled Petr Mrazek, Tage Thompson scored a shorthanded empty-netter to put the Sabres up 5-2.
Buffalo is now 2-1 against the Leafs this season, with one matchup remaining in Toronto on April 12.