(Reuters) - Nazem Kadri made the most of his call-up from the minor leagues to the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at the Air Canada Center.
The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for Toronto while Northeast rivals Buffalo have now lost three in a row.
Jason Pominville put the Sabres ahead midway through the second period with a power-play goal but the Leafs hit back immediately, Dave Steckel and Phil Kessel giving them a 2-1 lead going into the third.
Derek Roy tied the score early in the third period, pouncing on a turnover and firing a shot over the left shoulder of Leafs netminder James Reimer, who made 40 saves in the game.
Kadri put the seal on an impressive night by taking a drop pass from Clarke MacArthur and sending a wrist shot into the top corner.
Already missing six regulars, the Sabres lost top goal scorer Thomas Vanek with an upper body injury in the second period. He did not return in the third.
(Reporting by Mike Mouat in Windsor, Ontario; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
