Tage Thompson scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and James Reimer made 30 saves as the Buffalo Sabres continued their success over the visiting Ottawa Senators with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night.
Jack Quinn and Jacob Bernard-Docker also scored for the Sabres (29-35-6, 64 points), who are last in the Eastern Conference standings but have won all three meetings against the wild-card-leading Senators (37-28-5, 79 points) so far this season.
With things knotted at 2-2, Buffalo’s Zach Benson worked to win the puck behind the Ottawa net then sent it into the slot, where Thompson converted just 1:23 into the third period. Reimer then remained stout, stopping all 14 shots on goal by the Senators in the final period as Buffalo improved to 12-4-0 in their last 16 home contests.
Brady Tkachuk and David Perron each scored for Ottawa, which might be headed to its first playoff appearance since 2017 but has lost three of four following a six-game winning streak.
The Senators wasted no time opening the scoring. In the early minutes of the game’s first power play, Drake Batherson beautifully backhanded the puck through the crease for Tkachuk to bury just 1:35 into the contest.
Buffalo appeared to level the game with 13:09 remaining in the first period; however, JJ Peterka’s goal was overturned due to offside via review of an Ottawa challenge. The Sabres eventually tied it with 1:29 left in the opening frame when a spinning Peterka sent the puck across the slot for Quinn to drive by Senators netminder Anton Forsberg (21 saves).
Ottawa, however, regained the lead via another power play goal with 12:21 to go in the second period. After Ridly Greig couldn’t get a handle on the puck in front of the Sabres net, Perron did and flipped it past Forsberg.
Buffalo, though, tied things again with little more than seven minutes left in the second. Bernard-Docker, who came over in the Dylan Cozens deal, drove the puck through traffic and rang the post before going in.
Cozens earned an assist in his return to Buffalo.
