OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jacob Lucchini’s first NHL goal was the eventual winner as the Ottawa Senators beat Buffalo 3-1 Sunday night and snapped the Sabres’ six-game winning streak.
Tim Stutzle scored twice for the Senators and Anton Forsberg finished with 33 saves.
Zemgus Girgensons scored for the Sabres. Craig Anderson stopped 33 shots.
Trailing 2-1 to start the third the Sabres pressed for the equalizer, but Forsberg was up to the challenge. Tage Thompson had a great chance at the halfway mark of the period, but his shot hit the post.
Stutzle iced the game with an empty-net goal with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
The Sabres took advantage of a bad line change when Mattias Samuelsson made a long pass to Girgensons, sending him in alone. He beat Forsberg with a wrist shot to tie the game at 1.
Midway through the period, Lucchini a 27-year-old center playing his fifth NHL game, jumped on a loose puck in front and scored his first on a power play to make it 2-1.
In the opening minute of the game, Stutzle looked to pass to Brady Tkachuk, but the puck bounced back in his direction and he quickly beat Anderson just 47 seconds in.
The Sabres finished the first with a two-man advantage, but were unable to capitalize and trailed 1-0.
INTERESTING STAT
Drake Batherson needed one point to tie Marian Hossa for third-longest point streak in Senators history. His 12-game point run was the second-longest current streak in the league. But that came to an end Sunday. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid leads the league with 17 games.
NOTES: The Senators remain without defensemen Erik Brannstrom and Nikita Zaitsev. Buffalo’s Alex Tuch has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in his last 19 games.
UP NEXT
Buffalo: At Washington Capitals on Tuesday.
Ottawa: Host Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
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