Bowen Byram’s overtime goal extended the Buffalo Sabres’ winning streak to seven games with a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.
Byram finished the night with two goals and an assist for his second career three-point outing. Noah Ostlund also scored a goal while Alex Lyon made 24 saves for his sixth straight victory.
Buffalo’s seven straight wins mark the franchise’s longest streak since winning 10 straight games in November 2018.
The game carried extra significance given the fact that Ottawa, an Atlantic Division rival, was riding its own four-game winning streak and, like Buffalo, competing for ground in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Sabres moved to within two points of Florida for the second wild card with the win. They have three days off for the holiday break before returning to KeyBank Center to host another division rival in the Boston Bruins on Saturday.
Buffalo held two leads through the first two periods of regulation but both times Ottawa evened the score, setting the stage for a low-event third period while both teams aimed to avoid a game-costing mistake.
The Senators finally pushed late in regulation – first with a put-back attempt from directly in front of the net by Drake Batherson which Lyon managed to save while laying on his back, and then when Alex Tuch was called for hooking with 1:51 remaining.
The Sabres successfully killed the penalty, with help from a blocked shot by Beck Malenstyn in the final seconds, then won when Byram beat goaltender Linus Ullmark with a shot across the body 31 seconds into overtime.
