Blue Jackets stop Sabres' winning streak at 10

COLUMBUS -- Denton Mateychuk had a goal and an assist, and the Columbus Blue Jackets ended the Buffalo Sabres’ 10-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

The Sabres (21-15-4) had won 10 straight games three other times in their history, most recently from Nov. 8-27, 2018.

“That was a team that has a lot of confidence and you just have to meet it head-on,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We weren't caught up in the streak or anything like that. We just went out there and wanted to play our game and play confidently and play with some swagger, and I feel like we did that tonight.”

Damon Severson and Werenski each had two assists, and Jet Greaves made 32 saves for the Blue Jackets (18-16-6), who have won four of five.

Werenski, who on Friday was named to the United States roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, returned after missing four games with a lower-body injury.

Josh Doan scored, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 30 saves for the Sabres, who had allowed two or fewer goals in each of their previous six games (nine goals).

“I think the biggest thing today was how we started,” Luukkonen said. “There hasn't been many starts like that for us and when there has been, I feel like we kind of grasped the game sooner than that, so we kind of let the first period go. As a team and as myself, I have to be better at the start and kind of going 3-1 down in the first period just kind of kills the momentum for us.”

Mateychuk put Columbus ahead 1-0 at 3:00 of the first period with a snap shot from above the right face-off circle following a drop pass by Boone Jenner.

Doan tied it 1-1 at 11:26. He was at the right post for a tap-in off a pass from Josh Norris after Owen Power intercepted a clearing pass by Mathieu Olivier.

“It’s a good test for our little group here,” Norris said. “We had a great stretch and when you’re winning, things just seem easy and they’re rolling, you hit a little bit of adversity and I have no doubt we’re going to respond, though. There’s no panic in here and I think everybody feels the same way.”

Brendan Gaunce gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead at 14:04 with a short-handed goal on a breakaway.

Dmitri Voronkov’s tip of Ivan Provorov’s shot made it 3-1 at 17:12, with the puck barely trickling across the line.

“That was one of the keys to the game, staying above them and not giving them time and space,” Mateychuk said. “They’ve got some pretty good forwards and they like to attack off the rush, so being on the right side of the puck and not giving them extra space was important, and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”

Olivier extended the lead to 4-1 at 8:04 of the second period. He took a flighted pass from Zach Aston-Reese, skated to the net and snuck a backhanded shot through Luukkonen.

Cole Sillinger scored into an empty net at 11:46 of the third period for the 5-1 final. It was a 5-on-4 situation with Luukkonen pulled and each team serving a penalty.

In their previous game, the Blue Jackets blew a 2-0 third-period lead in a 3-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

“We didn't get the result that we wanted, and it just goes to show how complete you have to play and how much the full 60 minutes matter,” Sillinger said. “Tonight, I thought we rebounded very well and we played with the lead very well, and got a couple more goals and capped off a great win.”

The Sabres will try to bounce back from a loss for the first time since a 7-4 defeat at the Calgary Flames on Dec. 8.

“That’s the most important part. It has nothing to do with winning 10 anymore,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “Now it’s about losing two in a row, about responding to the game we just played, going back in our building (to face the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday) and playing a good hockey game.”

NOTES: Werenski has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in a six-game personal point streak. … Forward Danton Heinen had one hit and was plus-1 in 8:51 of ice time in his Blue Jackets debut. He was acquired Monday in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for forward Yegor Chinakhov. … Mason Marchment had a five-game point streak end for Columbus dating to the forward being traded from the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 19. He had six points (four goals, two assists) during the streak. … The Sabres had a seven-game road winning streak end.