Josh Norris ended a six-game goal drought with two strikes as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 in Buffalo on Friday night. Norrisā first goal came late in the first period, breaking the deadlock at 2-1, and he added another midway through the second to help Buffalo secure their fourth win in five games.
Jack Quinn opened the scoring at 6:50 of the first period with his ninth goal of the season, putting the Sabres ahead. Columbus responded through Kent Johnson, who tied it at 1-1 with eight minutes left in the opening frame. Norris then restored the lead with 1:50 remaining in the period, snapping his scoring drought since October 17.
Rasmus Dahlin extended the Sabresā advantage early in the second with a one-timer, making it 3-1 just over four minutes in. Norris struck again at 9:46 to push the lead to 4-1, and Josh Doan quickly followed with a goal 67 seconds later. The Blue Jackets managed a late power-play goal from Zach Werenski with 1:39 remaining in the third period, narrowing the score to 5-2.
Defenseman Owen Power contributed three assists for Buffalo, and goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 24 shots as the Sabres held firm. Columbusā netminder Jet Greaves made 32 saves but could not prevent the loss, their third consecutive defeat on the road.
Blue Jackets forward Sean Monahan left the game during the second period with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot from Dahlin. He did not return to the ice for the remainder of the match.
The win nudges the Sabres closer to the playoff picture as they prepare to host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Columbus will attempt to arrest their slide when they face the Florida Panthers at home on Tuesday.
According to Yahoo Sports.
