Ottawa, Ontario (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - Lucky win No. 7 took a little bit longer Tuesday night, but the Buffalo Sabres got it done in dramatic fashion.
Visiting the Ottawa Senators, Bowen Byram led the charge with a three-point effort to lift the Sabres to a 3-2 overtime victory at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Sabres opened the scoring with about four-and-a-half minutes left in the first period.
A great pass by winger Jordan Greenway located Byram bearing down on the doorstep, and the defenseman tapped in a 1-0 lead past former Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark.
Ottawa evened the score before the end of the period, though.
Forward Ridly Greig led a 2-on-1 rush on Alex Lyon, and kept the puck himself to beat the Sabres goalie with a backhand.
Early in the second period, the Sabres took back the lead.
Some slick stick control from forward Noah Ostlund helped the forward deflect home a shot from Byram to give Buffalo a 2-1 advantage.
The lead did not last long, as for a second time, the Senators orchestrated a quick answer.
On a power play opportunity, Tim Stutzle was left uncovered in the slot. The puck came his way after a board battle, and the Senators forward made no mistake tying the game at 2-2.
The third period was an all-out war of attrition. Neither team gave an inch, and the game remained tied through regulation.
The Sabres also survived a late penalty with 1:51 left in the frame, killing it off while getting the contest to overtime.
In the extra frame, Byram put a bow on a three-point night with the game-winning goal just 31 seconds in, as his shot fluttered past the blocker of a sprawled out Ullmark.
The win gives Buffalo a seventh-straight victory, and kept the Sabres firmly cemented in the heat of the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference as the league heads into its holiday break.
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SCORING RECAP
First Period:
BUF: 15:22 - Bowen Byram (7) (Jordan Greenway, Josh Dunne)
OTT: 17:12 - Ridly Greig (3) (Claude Giroux)
Second Period:
BUF: 6:11 - Noah Ostlund (6) (Bowen Byram, Alex Tuch)
OTT: 9:27 - Tim Stutzle (18) PPG (Drake Batherson, Dylan Cozens)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
OTT: NONE
Overtime:
BUF: 0:31 - Bowen Byram (8) (Ryan McLeod, Mattias Samuelsson)
OTT: NONE
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Blue Star Home Services Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Bowen Byram - BUF
2.) Ridly Greig - OTT
3.) Alex Lyon - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres get a couple days off for the holiday break before hosting the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at KeyBank Center. Faceoff from Downtown Buffalo is set for 7 p.m. with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call.