Through two periods Tuesday, and even the first six minutes of the third, the Buffalo Sabres were at the mercy of the San Jose Sharks.

The latter club carried a 4-1 lead into the middle of the third before Buffalo came up with what was surely the greatest comeback in recent team history.

And on their captain's birthday, no less.

The Sabres milked all the star power they had to claw their way back, with Ryan O'Reilly, Kyle Okposo, and Evander Kane earning the three third-period goals to tie things up. Kane scored his second of the game, and 13th of the season, to clinch the comeback in overtime.

Phenom Jack Eichel certainly played his part as well, setting up O'Reilly with a clutch one-timer to kick off the comeback, and gifting Kane with the golden opportunity to put the game in the extra frame.

Though the Sabres haven't had much success in 2016-17 - the club entered the game ranked 14th in the East - their core understands their potential.

"It's a 60-minute game," Eichel said after the win. "We got booed after the second, got some energy going in the third, won in OT. Big comeback for us."

Goaltender Anders Nilsson, who shut the door for the majority of the third and throughout overtime, echoed his young teammate's sentiments.

"It's a huge boost for our confidence," Nilsson said. "Being able to come back, it shows the character on our team."

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