The Buffalo Sabres matched a season-high in goals scored at home en route to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center on Friday.
Three players had multi-point nights, including Josh Norris’ two-goal performance. Owen Power had three assists, while Jack Quinn had a goal and an assist.
Buffalo was helped by a second-period offensive siege, scoring three goals in just over six minutes, including two goals in 1:07. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also had a strong performance in net, stopping 24 of 26 to improve his season record to 5-3-3.
Quinn got the scoring started 6:50 into the game, backhanding in the rebound from his own initial shot. The Sabres had an increased presence around the net on Friday night, making things difficult on Columbus goalie Jet Greaves, who made 32 saves in the loss.
The Blue Jackets answered at 16:00 of the first period to make it 1-1, but the Sabres made sure they left the period with a lead when Norris made a strong move to the net and wristed the puck past Greaves for the 2-1 edge.
Rasmus Dahlin started the second period flurry when his slap shot ricocheted off a Columbus skater and beat Greaves high for the 3-1 lead. Norris added his second goal at 9:46, and just over a minute later, Josh Doan made it 5-1 after his linemates combined to earn both assists.
Columbus tacked on a power-play goal late in the third period to cut it to 5-2. Buffalo went 0-for-4 on the man advantage on Friday, while Columbus went 1-for-3. The Sabres controlled both the shots on goal (37-22) and the shot attempts (65-55).
