BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Austin Watson scored the tiebreaker in the third period and Zach Sanford and Brady Tkachuk added goals as the Ottawa Senators beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Thursday night
Nick Holden had two assists and Anton Forsberg made 22 saves as the Senators improved to 5-2-1 in their last seven road games and 5-5-0 in their last 10 overall.
Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres. Craig Anderson stopped 25 of 27 shots against his former team. Buffalo had won two in a row and had earned a point in three straight.
Watson deflected Holden’s slap shot past Anderson for the go-ahead goal with 9:09 remaining in the third period, breaking an 18-game scoreless streak.
Sanford tied it for the Senators with 3:56 remaining in the second period. Former Sabre Tyler Ennis found Sanford alone in front of the net, where he moved the puck to his backhand and tucked it around Anderson’s glove for his eighth goal.
Tkachuk added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds, his 16th of the season.
Okposo gave the Sabres the lead on a power play with 6:23 left in the first period. Taking a long pass from Rasmus Asplund to set up a breakaway, Okposo beat Forsberg with a move from the right slot. Okposo’s 11th goal was his third in four games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Senators: G Matt Murray (undisclosed) did not make the trip to Buffalo. He was injured in the third period of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss against St. Louis when the Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist fell on top of him. … D Thomas Chabot (upper body) missed his second consecutive game and is expected to sit out two more before returning Tuesday against Minnesota.
Sabres: F Drake Caggiula will have season-ending fusion surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck, general manager Kevyn Adams said Thursday. Caggiula, who hasn’t played since Nov. 22, is expected to recover in six to eight months. … F Casey Mittelstadt (upper body) sat out his 41st game and fifth in a row following a hard practice Wednesday, but he is “close” to returning, Adams said. … F Vinnie Hinostroza (lower body) is expected to return to practice soon after tweaking his injury last week. … D Will Butcher (lower body) has resumed skating and is considered day to day.
NOTES
Senators: Won for the second time in 10 games (2-5-3) when tied after two periods. ... Watson returned from a two-game suspension for a hit on Boston defenseman Jack Ahcan in a 2-0 loss on Saturday.
Sabres: F Dylan Cozens was fined $2,235 by the NHL on Wednesday for cross-checking the Islanders’ Brock Nelson in Tuesday’s 6-3 win. … Robert Hagg returned to the lineup in place of Mattias Samuelsson as Buffalo continues to rotate its seven healthy defensemen. … F John Hayden received a game misconduct for instigating a fight with Watson in the opening minutes after Watson checked D Jacob Bryson into the end boards.
UP NEXT
Senators: Host Boston on Saturday in the opener of a four-game homestand.
Sabres: Host Colorado on Saturday before going on five-game trip.
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