OTTAWA – Jacob Lucchini’s first NHL goal proved to be the winner in the Ottawa Senators 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday night.
The loss snapped the Sabres (18-15-2) six-game winning streak.
Tim Stutzle scored the other two goals for the Senators (17-17-3), while Anton Forsberg was solid making 33 saves.
Zemgus Girgensons scored the lone goal 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 rang a shot off the post.
Stutzle iced the game with an empty-net goal with just over one minute remaining in regulation.
The Sabres took advantage of a bad line change when Mattias Samuelsson made a long pass to Girgensons to send him in alone and he beat Forsberg with a wrist shot to tie the game 1-1.
Midway through the period Lucchini jumped on a loose puck in front and buried his first career NHL goal on the 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 right back in his direction and he quickly beat Anderson just 47 seconds into the game.
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 is the second longest current streak in the league, but came to an end Sunday as he was held off the scoresheet. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid leads the league with 17 games.
NOTES
The Senators remain without defencemen Erik Brannstrom and Nikita Zaitsev. Buffalo’s Alex Tuch has 28 points (10G, 18A) in his last 19 games.
UP NEXT
The Senators host Columbus Tuesday night, while the Sabres will head to Washington to take on the Capitals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 1, 2023.
