Immediately after the opening puck drop in the first period, Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens and Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi dropped their gloves and began exchanging some big punches.

Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka scored goals for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made five saves on seven shots in 7:57 before giving way to James Reimer, who stopped 27 of 29 shots in relief. Carolina - the NHL's best team in terms of shot-attempt percentage - led 36-16 in shots on goal.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist as the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night at Raleigh, N.C., winning for only the second time in the past seven games.

The Hurricanes jumped out an early lead on Thursday and never looked back. Before the halfway point of the first period Carolina had a 3-0 lead.

The Buffalo Sabres will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 27. After winning each of their last two games, the Sabres will look to extend their streak to three games from here.

The Sabres have earned a win in six of their last seven games. Buffalo has recorded three or more goals in each game in that span. The Sabres rank second among all NHL teams in goals for per game (4.40) in the month of February.

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres will look to end their three-game road skid in a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has a 21-6-1 record in home games and a 33-21-4 record overall.