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.

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

FINAL | Sabres 4 - Hurricanes 2 Lindy Ruff addresses the media Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen addresses the media Dylan Cozens addresses the media Ryan McLeod addresses the media The Sabres conclude their three-game homestand Friday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tickets are available here.

The Buffalo Sabres fourth goal on Thursday kept getting changed between Tage Thompson and Ryan McLeod. It was the next day when I could actually sit down and talk to McLeod about getting his first NHL hat trick.

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.

Ryan McLeod scored on the first shot of the game, again just before the second period horn, and was awarded an empty-net goal for his first career hat trick in the Sabres’ 4-2 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.

It may not have been his first goal, but former Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan McLeod scored a goal last night that he won't soon forget. Actually, he scored three of them. And he made a little bit of history in the process.

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.

The Sabres survived despite becoming the first team in NHL shot tracking history (to 1965) to score a goal in a 20-minute period without a shot on goal.

Zucker recorded two assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.

Zucker’s net-front residence has yielded offense at both 5-on-5 and on a resurgent Buffalo power play. Since Dec. 21, with Zucker a regular on the top unit, the Sabres have gone 9-for-28 (32 percent) with the man advantage, seventh best in the NHL during that span.

Ryan McLeod registered a hat trick, one on the game's first shot, as the Buffalo Sabres held off the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2, Wednesday night in a nationally televised game in KeyBank Center.