Ottawa, Ont. (WGR 550) - The Buffalo Sabres picked up where they left off at home, and it wasn't anything positive to start their three-game Canadian road trip.
For the seventh-straight game, the Sabres were on the wrong end of the final score, this time a 4-1 decision in favor of the Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
The Senators opened the scoring midway through the first period of play. Forward Austin Watson potted his first goal of the season with a snap shot from the slot.
Watson's goal for Ottawa held up until 6:41 into the middle stanza, when Tage Thompson finally made the Senators pay for carelessness with their sticks. A patented Thompson rocket on a power play knotted the score at 1-1.
It was Thompson's 12th goal of the campaign.
The score stayed tied for only about three more minutes of game time, when Ottawa struck back on a power play of their own. Defenseman Jake Sanderson's point shot banged off the back wall, and bounded perfectly to the stick of Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, who was camped in front of Sabres goalie Eric Comrie. Tkachuk rammed the puck home for his seventh goal of the season.
During the next media stoppage of the night, Comrie was replaced between the pipes by veteran and longtime Senators goalie Craig Anderson. Minutes earlier in the period, Comrie was collateral damage as a result of a Dahlin check laid on Senators forward Mathieu Joseph.
Comrie initially tried to tough it out, but appeared to labor on his left leg before exiting.
Anderson ran a shutout in relief of Comrie until there was 5:39 left in regulation. Joseph corralled a rebound off Anderson's pad and dished it off to fellow forward Alex DeBrincat for a one-timer. The goal was DeBrincat's fifth goal of the season.
Minutes later, Tim Stutzle added an empty net goal for good measure to help put the finishing touches on a Senators 4-1 victory. The loss was the Sabres' seventh in-a-row.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
OTT: 9:45 - Austin Watson (1) (Jake Sanderson, Parker Kelly)
Second Period:
BUF: 6:41 - Tage Thompson (12) PPG (Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch)
OTT: 9:57 - Brady Tkachuk (7) PPG (Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle)
Third Period:
BUF: NONE
OTT: 14:21 - Alex DeBrincat (5) (Mathieu Joseph, Travis Hamonic); 19:19 - Tim Stutzle (6) ENG (Nick Holden)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 3:15 - Victor Olofsson (Holding - 2 min.); 7:05 - Zemgus Girgensons (High sticking - 2 min.)
OTT: 2:23 - Jacob Larsson (High sticking - 4 min. double-minor); 12:55 - Derick Brassard (Hooking - 2 min.); 18:50 - Mathieu Joseph (High sticking - 2 min.); 19:38 - Tim Stutzle (Interference - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 8:27 - Jeff Skinner (Roughing - 2 min.); 8:27 - Jeff Skinner (Unsportsmanlike conduct - 2 min.); 13:17 - JJ Peterka (Tripping - 2 min.); 18:47 - Vinnie Hinostroza (Tripping - 2 min.)
OTT: 5:27 - Erik Brannstrom (High sticking - 2 min.); 7:54 - Tyler Motte (High sticking - 2 min.); 8:27 - Travis Hamonic (Roughing - 2 min.)
Third Period:
BUF: 3:53 - Alex Tuch (Tripping - 2 min.)
OTT: 16:30 - Claude Giroux (Hooking - 2 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Jake Sanderson - OTT
2.) Anton Forsberg - OTT
3.) Brady Tkachuk - OTT
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What's next:
The Sabres pay the Toronto Maple Leafs a visit for their first matchup of the 2022-23 season on Saturday night. Puck drop at Scotiabank Arena is set for just after 7 p.m. EST with pregame coverage with Brian Koziol starting at 6 p.m. EST on the flagship home of the Buffalo Sabres - WGR Sports Radio 550.
