The Buffalo Sabres fell backwards into a 4-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, making NHL history in one of the worst ways.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ryan McLeod scored two goals and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Wednesday night. Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson also scored and Jason Zucker had two assists for the Sabres, who won for the third time in four games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves.

With a rare 6:00 pm start time, the Hurricanes arrived late to the game and Buffalo did not. The Hurricanes didn’t really get to their game until the third and Buffalo took advantage, getting a three-goal lead before the final frame.

Ryan McLeod scored on the first shot of the game, again in the waning seconds of the second period, and added an empty-netter for his first career hat trick to lead the Sabres in a 4-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.

Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson also scored and Jason Zucker had two assists for the Sabres, who won for the third time in four games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves. Jaccob Slavin and Martin Necas scored and Brent Burns had two assists in the Hurricanes’ second straight loss. Dustin Tokarski made 20 saves.