Ottawa 4, Buffalo 2
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees:
Dean Morton, Corey Syvret
Linesmen:
Trent Knorr, Libor Suchanek
Attendance:
18919
By Field Level Media
Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Dzingel each collected one goal and one assist as the Ottawa Senators beat the host Buffalo Sabres 4-2 on Wednesday night.
Goalie Craig Anderson made 13 of this 32 saves in a perfect third period in the win.
With the loss, the Sabres clinched the worst record in the NHL this season.
Buffalo's Ryan O'Reilly gave the KeyBank Center crowd an early reason to cheer when he opened the scoring 30 seconds into the affair. O'Reilly beat Anderson with a backhand on the breakaway to earn his third goal and sixth point in a four-game scoring streak.
That elation was short-lived. Max McCormick pulled the Senators even at 2:56. Burrows won a battle to get the puck to Mark Borowiecki at the point, and his long shot was tipped by McCormick past Buffalo goalie Chad Johnson.
Matt Duchene put the Sens ahead at 6:10 of the first period. After a couple of soft plays by the Sabres defenders, a bounding puck came to Duchene in the high slot and unloaded a glove-side, top-corner rocket.
Dzingel made it a 3-1 Ottawa lead at 3:21 of the second period with his 21st of the season. Just after a Senators power play expired, Dzingel grabbed a rebound near the crease and worked his way to the faceoff dot to set up before wristing a shot through the screen.
Kyle Okoposo pulled the Sabres within a goal before the second intermission. After gaining the puck, Okposo worked to the left faceoff circle and ripped a shot through the screen to make it a 3-2 game.
Casey Mittelstadt, Buffalo's highly touted 2017 first-round draft choice, collected his third assist in four games since joining the team after his freshman season at the University of Minnesota.
That's as close as the Sabres could get, and Burrows potted an empty netter with 38.6 seconds on the clock to ice the game.
Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan left in the first period, having suffered a lower-body injury after being caught in a collision between Buffalo's Jack Eichel and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Senators were also without captain Erik Karlsson, who remained home to be with his wife as they deal with the death of their son.
Johnson stopped 28 shots for the Sabres, who are assured of last place in the NHL for the second time in four years.
-- Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Ottawa |
|
Buffalo |
|
Alexandre Burrows 2 |
Points |
Ryan O'Reilly 1 |
|
Alexandre Burrows 1 |
Goals |
Ryan O'Reilly 1 |
|
Alexandre Burrows 1 |
Assists |
Casey Mittelstadt 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Craig Anderson .941 |
Save Percentage |
Chad Johnson .903 |
|
Craig Anderson 32 |
Saves |
Chad Johnson 28 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Ottawa
|
32 |
4 |
0-1 |
3-3 |
6 |
27 |
| Buffalo
|
34 |
2 |
0-3 |
1-1 |
2 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Sabres have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .364 after a loss.
-
Ottawa will play their next game on the road against Pittsburgh. The Senators have a W/L % of .370 after a win and .340 after a loss.
For more information, contact us