Blue Jackets top Sabres for fourth straight win

BUFFALO -- The Columbus Blue Jackets started fast but had to hold on late against the Buffalo Sabres to extend their winning streak on Monday.
Boone Jenner's goal at 9:24 of the third period gave the Blue Jackets just enough of a cushion in a 3-2 win at KeyBank Center.

Jenner gave Columbus a 3-0 lead after Pierre-Luc Dubois scored at 4:14 of the second period and Artemi Panarin's fifth goal at 5:47 of the third.
WATCH: [All Blue Jackets vs. Sabres highlights]
Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane tried to help the Sabres rally with goals 6:51 apart later in the third period.
Columbus (13-7-1) has won four straight games.
"We found a way," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "I am not going to pick apart the team; it's just a natural thing that happens when you get up three goals. You just give a little bit."

Buffalo (5-12-4) has lost six straight games (0-4-2).
"We're waiting too much for one break in a game," Reinhart said. "Unfortunately, as of late there hasn't been many goals for us early in games that have led to us playing the way we're capable of."
Jenner made it 3-0 when he put a shot past Robin Lehner after a pass by Cam Atkinson.
Reinhart scored 13 seconds later when he tipped Victor Antipin's shot past Sergei Bobrovsky for his fourth goal.
The goal ended Bobrovsky's shutout streak at 117:23. He made 30 saves.
"He's been stellar. I don't have [another] word to describe it," Jenner said. "He's been amazing for us, and again tonight he was right there. He's our rock. He's got us back there, so we just want to play hard in front of him and he's been playing really good. It's great for us and great for him."

Kane made it 3-2 at 16:28 of the third period when he beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot for his 12th goal.
"We have nothing to lose," Kane said. "I don't understand the starts. We score two goals tonight, but we didn't get our first goal until the 10-minute mark of the third period so we're not creating enough offensively."
Bobrovsky helped the lead stand up when he made saves against Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo with 1:47 left in the third. Although a video review was initiated, the referee blew the play dead.
"Yeah, that's no goal," Tortorella said. "And if they call it a goal, it's goalie interference. And the whistle blew already anyway before the puck went over. So yeah, we didn't think it was going to be a goal."
Lehner made 26 saves.

Goal of the game

Jenner's goal at 9:24 of the third period.

Save of the game

Bobrovsky made back-to-back saves against O'Reilly and Okposo at 18:13 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Panarin's goal at 5:47 of the third period.

They said it

"It's a long season, and maybe there's going to be more games like that. I think maybe at the end they got the momentum back, but we got the two points and that's what counts and we're going to keep learning like that." -- Blue Jackets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois

"We didn't envision this, being where we are right now, and that's the tough battle. You hope that some of the hockey gods would give us a bounce here or there. But again, you create your own bounces. This is testing us mentally for sure, but we've got to push forward." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley

Need to know

The Blue Jackets have scored first in five straight games. … Jack Eichel led Sabres forwards with 20:54 of ice time, including 8:36 in the third period.

What's next

Blue Jackets: Host the Calgary Flames on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Sabres: Host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; MSG-B, FS-N, NHL.TV)