Conor Sheary and Carter Hutton gave the surging Buffalo Sabres

WINNIPEG Adidas Timothy Liljegren Jersey , Manitoba (AP) — Conor Sheary and Carter Hutton gave the surging Buffalo Sabres another full two points in the standings.Sheary scored in the seventh round of a shootout, Hutton stopped 25 shots and the Sabres beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.Sheary beat Laurent Brossoit with a shot over the goalie’s glove.“It should give us some confidence,” Skinner said when asked about the last two wins over the Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning. “It definitely gives us some confidence in Hutts (goalie Carter Hutton). I don’t think we wanna ask that much of him every night, but he’s been huge the last two games.”Buffalo improved to 11-6-2.“I think we just gave them a little too much respect,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said. “We settled in the second, got our legs underneath us. We starting shooting pucks, getting pucks to the net and it created a lot for us.”Jeff Skinner tied it at 1 for the Sabres on a power play early in the third period. He extended his goals streak to four games with his 14th of the season.The Sabres went on a power play with 19 seconds left in the second period after forward Brandon Tanev was called for holding. They capitalized 53 seconds into the third when a rebound bounced around a scramble in the crease and Skinner put in a backhander.“I thought we carried the play most of the way and they potted one and it gave them a bit of a surge, some momentum,” Brossoit said. “We weathered the storm and then both teams played good defense.”Kyle Connor scored for the Jets in the second period. He has three goals and two assists in the last four games.“I think each game I’ve grown and really taking strides to be a more consistent player day in and day out Adidas Tyler Ennis Jersey ,” Connor said. “I think that’s what makes great players in this league great, bringing it every single night.”NOTES: Brossoit made 31 saves. … Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler had his points streak end at 11 games.UP NEXTSabres: At Minnesota on Saturday night.Jets: At Vancouver on Monday night. WASHINGTON (AP) James Neal has become a source of leadership and inspiration for the Vegas Golden Knights during their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.So, it came as no surprise that the 11-year veteran made a point of seeking out teammate Alex Tuch, a 22-year-old rookie who missed a chance to score the potential tying goal late in Game 2 against the Washington Capitals”I talked with him a little bit today,” Neal said Friday. ”It’s all good. He’ll get a bigger one for us later in the series. He’s been great for us so far, so no reason to think about that anymore. At the end of the day, it’s a great save and you move forward.”Braden Holby snuffed the shot with his goalie stick in a 3-2 victory that evened the series heading in Game 3 on Saturday night.Vegas snagged a winner when they selected Neal from Nashville last June in the expansion draft. They got a skilled forward who scored 20 goals in 10 straight seasons (now 11) and a player who turned out to be perfect for a team that had to mesh immediately to be successful.”He’s a natural leader,” Golden Knights right wing Ryan Reaves said. ”He likes leading the boys into battle. When he has something to say he’s going to say it, and people are going to listen.”Neal reached the Stanley Cup Final last year with the Predators Adidas Antoine Roussel Jersey , who lost to Pittsburgh. Now here he is again, with another crack at winning it all.”It’s a special team and a special group of guys,” Neal said. ”I’ve been to the finals before, so just try to give them little tips. I try to lead by example, do the right things on the ice. We’ve got a group that responds well.”Neal seriously wants to win, but he isn’t always serious. And that’s the way his teammates like it.”I’m not going to pump his tires too much because I don’t want to hear about it, but he’s definitely one of those guys that keeps it loose,” Reaves said. ”You need guys like that around the team. You can’t be 100 percent business-like all the time. You’ve got to have fun.”Vegas goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury is the only other player on the club who’s played in the Stanley Cup Final, so he and Neal have been taking turns doling out advice.”In the locker room he’s a big voice Adidas Tim Schaller Jersey ,” Fleury said of Neal. ”He’s been to the finals, so it’s good to have someone else who can share that experience.”Although Neal is a rarity in that he’s been to consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, his most emphatic message is: Don’t take this ride for granted.”You see how badly he wants to win,” left wing David Perron said. ”To go through that last year and not come out on top, he’s got a huge chip on his shoulder and really wants to get it this time. He’s talking to guys, telling them you never know if you’re going to get another opportunity, so you’ve got to find a way to bring your best.”Toward that end, the 30-year-old Neal has helped carry the team with his stick. He has five goals and five assists in 17 games during the playoffs, including Vegas’ first goal in Game 2 on Wednesday.Asked whether Neal is more valuable as a player or a leader Adidas Jay Beagle Jersey , Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant replied, ”On the ice is the major thing for me. When he scores goals like he did the last game, he makes our job a lot easier as coaches. James has been outstanding for us. He definitely helps our room with the young players, for sure.”Most notably, Tuch.”He’s been a mentor to me. He brought me aside today and told me what I could have done better on that shot but also that I have to move on,” Tuch said. ”Everyone knows how good a hockey player he is. I don’t know if people knew he was that much of a leader. Maybe it was a different vibe in Nashville. But this year he’s been a huge leader for us, one of our (six alternate) captains, and it’s been great.”—More Stanley Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/StanleyCupFinals