The Sabres got a fourth goal in the third period to ice the game — despite not recording a shot on net in the entire period, an NHL first.

Ryan McLeod scored three goals for his first career hat trick and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2.

Ryan McLeod scored his first-career hat trick and the Buffalo Sabres held on for 4-2 win against the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.

It’s hard to maintain patience while watching the Buffalo Sabres these days. They’ll have dazzling performances then follow it up with losses like the 6-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Seattle Kraken.

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.

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.

The Buffalo Sabres continue to ward off the stench from their 13-game losing streak earlier this season, defeating a talented Carolina Hurricanes team. After their 4-2 victory, it pushed the team's record to 6-3-1 over their last 10 games.