In a closely contested match, Nikita Kucherov scored his 400th career goal in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Kucherov's milestone goal, which was his 43rd of the season, came during a power play in the first period, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Darren Raddysh. With this goal, Kucherov now has 126 points, tying him for the NHL lead with Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. Kucherov is now the eighth Russian-born player and the second player in Lightning history to reach 400 goals, following Steven Stamkos, who achieved the milestone in November 2019.

Despite Kucherov's achievement, the night belonged to the Sabres, who took the lead with Jason Zucker's goal early in the second period. Jack Quinn sealed the victory with an empty-net goal, leading Buffalo to snap a minor slump and tie the Lightning for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 102 points. The Sabres' goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, made 25 saves, improving his record to 10-2-1 in his last 14 appearances. The victory was particularly sweet for Buffalo, as they celebrated clinching their first playoff berth in 15 seasons just days prior.