By The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH – Buffalo’s Chris Drury scored on a rebound in overtime and Martin Biron became the first NHL goalie in eight years to win 12 consecutive starts, helping the Sabres ruin Michel Therrien’s debut as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ coach with a 4-3 victory Friday night.

Drury and Ales Kotalik each had a power-play goal and two assists as the Sabres won their fifth in a row and 13th in 15 games despite allowing Ziggy Palffy’s tying goal with 2:17 left in regulation.

Biron stopped 24 shots – a relatively low number given Pittsburgh’s seven power plays. The Sabres’ eight consecutive road wins are two short of the club record 10 in 1983-84 that set an NHL record and has been matched twice.

Biron’s streak is the NHL’s longest since New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur won 12 in a row in 1997-98.

Penguins defenseman Josef Melichar was late jumping off the bench on a line change and was immediately called for hooking Teppo Numminen 1:01 into overtime, and the Sabres scored the winning goal 36 seconds later.

Drury grabbed Daniel Briere’s rebound in the lower left circle and put a no-look backhander on net that kicked off goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s right leg pad and trickled across the goal line for Drury’s 10th goal.

Even with a new coach and a new defense-first system in place, the Penguins lost their ninth in 10 games and their 24th in 32 games, counting overtime.

The Penguins, 0-14-5 when trailing after two periods, got Palffy’s tying goal only after a video replay. Palffy kicked Sidney Crosby’s pass to his stick and pushed the puck toward the net, but the red light did not go on as Biron sprawled across the goal line and stuck out his glove to grab the puck.

Palffy was given the goal after two TV replays appeared to show Biron catching the puck beyond the goal line.

Blackhawks 5, Blues 1

CHICAGO – Mark Bell, Martin Lapointe and Andy Hilbert each had a goal and an assist, and Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 32 shots to lead the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Friday night.

Jim Dowd added a goal, and Pavel Vorobiev scored into an empty net with 1:37 left.

Among Khabibulin’s saves was a blocker deflection of Doug Weight’s penalty shot at 8:22 of the second period.

Weight was awarded the attempt after Chicago’s Kyle Calder covered the puck, then threw it from a pile-up in the Blackhawks crease.

Dean McAmmond scored for the Blues, who have won just one of their last five games and two of nine.

St. Louis forward Keith Tkachuk left the game with a hand injury after skating two shifts in the second period and didn’t return.

Tkachuk’s five-game goal streak and seven-game point run were snapped. He had eight goals and seven assists in seven games before Friday.

St. Louis starting goalie Curtis Sanford left the game 4:38 into the second period after Blues defenseman Eric Weinrich collided with him and knocked him into the post.

Sanford got back on his skates, but was helped to the bench. He was later diagnosed with a hip flexor injury.

Sanford allowed two goals on four shots before being replaced by Jason Bacashihua, who gave up two goals on 16 shots.

Hilbert opened the scoring on a deflection at 8:33 of the first period.

As Hilbert cut across the slot, Rene Bourque’s shot from just inside the blue line struck him and bounded past Sanford.

Lapointe made it 2-0 with 1:12 left in the first. He scored from the crease, after being set up by Kyle Calder following a St. Louis turnover.

McAmmond cut it to 2-1 just over 2 minutes after Khabibulin stopped Weight on the penalty shot.

Bell’s power-play goal with 3:52 left in the second gave Chicago a 3-1 lead. He beat Bacashihua with a high shot from the top of the right circle.

Vorobiev’s empty-net goal with 1:37 left made it 4-1. Dowd completed the scoring, with Bacashihia back in goal, with two seconds left.

Notes: Blackhawks D Michal Barinka missed the game with concussion-like symptoms, caused by a hit by Nashville’s Scott Hartnell on Thursday. … Chicago D Todd Simpson returned after missing two games with a knee injury. … Chicago D Adrian Aucoin missed his third straight game with a groin injury. … St.Louis RW Dallas Drake missed his fourth game with a sore lower back.

AP-ES-12-16-05 2326EST