Berube wins first NHL start since 2018, Blue Jackets defeat Sabres

COLUMBUS --J-F Berube made 33 saves in his first NHL start in almost four years when the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 7-3 at Nationwide Arena on Sunday.

Berube had not started an NHL game since April 6, 2018, when he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, and he had not won an NHL game since April 4, 2018. He got the start because goalies Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo each is out with a lower-body injury.
"I just want to let the moment sink in and appreciate the win with my teammates," Berube said. "I wanted to stay composed and play my game and control the pace of the game too."
He said the game was important because his wife and their 19-month-old son, Cayden, were there.
"This is one is for him," Berube said.

Dean Kukan had two goals and an assist, Brendan Gaunce had a goal and two assists, and Patrik Laine extended his point streak to nine games for the Blue Jackets (25-23-1), who have won five of six.
Tage Thompson scored for the fourth time in two games, and Craig Anderson made 32 saves for the Sabres (16-27-8), who have lost three straight and were coming off a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
"We just looked tired," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "Tired plays. Tired mistakes. Physically tired. Mentally tired a little. We just couldn't finish simple stuff.
"There were so many signs of fatigue but the bottom line for us is we have to learn how to play through that. We just didn't adjust to not having your game."

Kukan gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 4:47 of the first period before Mark Pysyk tied it 1-1 at 15:05 off the rush on Buffalo's second shot.
Thompson put the Sabres ahead 2-1 at 17:14 with his 20th goal of the season after getting his first NHL hat trick Saturday.
Boone Jenner's goal 10 seconds later tied it 2-2 at 17:24, a put back after Jakub Voracek's shot hit the post
Kukan put the Blue Jackets ahead 3-2 at 3:28 of the second period with his third goal in 17 games this season.
Gaunce won the draw back to Gavin Bayreuther, who pushed a short pass to Kukan for his first multigoal game in the NHL. He had three goals in his previous 128 games.
"It was a really fun game," Kukan said. "It's not every night I score two goals, or even score. It was a fun night for all of us."

Zach Werenski increased the lead to 4-2 at 8:16, and Gaunce made it 5-2 off a pass from Laine at 17:43.
Laine, who had two assists, has scored 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) during the streak, his second-longest in the NHL behind a 15-game point streak in 2017-18 with the Winnipeg Jets.
Kyle Okposo cut it to 5-3 at 19:28 when video review confirmed the puck completely crossed the line. He said the Sabres can't use fatigue as an excuse for the loss.
"We've played back-to-backs before. We just didn't get off to a good start," he said.
Gustav Nyquist scored an empty-net goal at 19:24 of the third period to push the lead to 6-3, and Justin Danforth scored at 19:56 for the 7-3 final.
"Whenever you get contributions up and down the lineup it's huge, it's infectious," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said.

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who leads the Sabres with 25 assists, did not play because of a lower-body injury.
"Dahlin's 25 minutes-plus in a game. That's a big one," Granato said. "It's a perfect reason why people covet top defensemen. It's because they can play so many minutes. They're tough to replace."
NOTES: With third-string goalie Daniil Tarasov (lower body) also out, the Blue Jackets on Sunday signed Jet Greaves, 20, to a three-year entry-level contract through the 2023-24 season and used him as the backup. He played this season with Cleveland of the American Hockey League and Kalamazoo of the ECHL. … Defenseman Robert Hagg replaced Dahlin and had two shots and two blocks in 15:56 of ice time … Blue Jackets forward Max Domi got his 200th NHL assist and 299th NHL point on their first goal. … The Blue Jackets scored seven goals in consecutive games for the first time in their history. They defeated the Blackhawks 7-4 on Thursday. … Danforth was plus-2 and had three shots in 6:59 after missing 19 games with a MCL sprain in his left knee.