At The Final Horn | Sabres hang on to beat Ottawa on the road

Michael Houser was stellar between the pipes and Mark Jankowski scored one of the most surprising goals in recent memory in the Buffalo Sabres' 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Houser made 43 saves to earn his first win of the season at Canadian Tire Centre. Jankowski's goal midway through the third period, which came at a point when no one else on the ice seemed to be paying attention, proved to be the game winner.
Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch also scored for Buffalo.
Drake Batherson was Ottawa's goal scorer and Anton Forsberg stopped 29 shots.
Houser made the fifth start of his NHL career and his first since May. He signed a one-year contract with the Sabres on January 12. This season with the Rochester Americans, he's 5-4-0 in 11 appearances.
Buffalo's power play finished 0-for-2, but was 4-for-5 while shorthanded, including a big kill at the end of the game.

How it happened

Buffalo struck first when Cozens cut through the middle of the ice in over the line and while fighting off two Senators defenders, he threw the puck on net and beat Forsberg with 7:53 remaining in the first period.
Houser was busy in the first period, stopping all 15 shots he faced.
The Senators tied things up 7:44 into the second when Batherson buried it while in tight.
While a scrum broke out in front of the Ottawa bench after Kyle Okposo was hit by Erik Brannstrom, Jankowski stole the puck and scored on a breakaway with 9:57 left in the third period to put Buffalo ahead. He picked Josh Brown's pocket and skated in all alone.
Okposo went to the dressing room after the sequence and did not return.
Ottawa was granted a power play with 3:16 remaining in regulation, but Buffalo killed the penalty and Tuch eventually scored on an empty net with 39.4 seconds to go.

Roll the highlight film

Here's that wild goal by Jankowski:

Worthy of a mention

• Due to capacity restrictions in Ontario, no fans were in attendance for the game.
• With a goal and an assist on the night, Tuch now has seven points (2+5) in seven games this season.
• Buffalo played without Vinnie Hinostroza due to an injury he sustained Monday night against the Red Wings and Tage Thompson, who could not enter Ontario due to COVID-19 protocols. Brett Murray and Jankowski drew back into the lineup.

Coming up

The Sabres host the Dallas Stars on Thursday at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. on MSG and WGR 550 with pregame coverage on MSG kicking things off at 6:30. Tickets are on sale now.