The Buffalo Sabres scored three second-period goals in 5:25 which helped them beat the Blue Jackets 5-2 in their season finale Friday at Nationwide Arena.
1st Period
Johnny Gaudreau picked up from where he left off Thursday, scoring a goal at 0:34 when he was open from the right doorstep to bury a rebound past Sabres goalie Devon Levi.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| BUF SABRES | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
#CBJ Gaudreau (21) goal pic.twitter.com/cOpBBRoRDY
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 14, 2023
Sean Kuraly had a chance to double Columbus' lead at 12:53 with a wrist shot from the bottom of the right circle, but Levi made the original save and controlled any possible rebound.
The Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead into the first period while trailing 16-8 in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Casey Mittelstadt had an early chance to tie the game at 0:21 with a shot from the bottom of the left circle but Jon Gillies made the save.
Jack Roslovic had a breakaway chance at 1:32, but Levi made the save.
Dylan Cozens went on a breakaway at 7:52 with a chance to tie the game, but Gillies made a huge glove save.
Jeff Skinner tied the game at 8:36, finishing off a give-and-go sequence with Mittelstadt with a one-timer from the right circle.
#LetsGoBuffalo Skinner goal pic.twitter.com/N0FgaNwG3O
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 15, 2023
The Jackets had a chance to answer at the midpoint of the period, but Gaudreau's shot from the slot was blocked, or else it likely would have gone into the net.
Victor Olofsson gave Buffalo its first lead of the night at 12:35 after Cozens made a nice play to find him in the slot where he fired a wrist shot past Gillies.
#LetsGoBuffalo Olofsson goal pic.twitter.com/87dIKVNPn7
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 15, 2023
Alex Tuch doubled Buffalo's lead at 14:01 after dancing around Mikael Pyyhtia at the right circle before firing a wrist shot off the post and in.
#LetsGoBuffalo Tuch goal pic.twitter.com/zBkofwHouV
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 15, 2023
Tyler Angle cut Columbus' deficit in half at 18:24 with his first-career NHL goal, beating Levi five-hole from a tough angle at the left doorstep.
#CBJ Angle (1) goal pic.twitter.com/BJlaFofJeZ
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 15, 2023
The Sabres led 3-2 after two and took a 27-23 lead in shots on goal into the third period.
3rd Period
Michael Hutchinson replaced Jon Gillies in net to start the third period after Gillies made 24 saves on 27 shots.
Buffalo doubled their lead at 4:03 after a brutal Andrew Peeke turnover behind the net led Skinner to find Mittelstadt open at the left doorstep for a tap-in.
#LetsGoBuffalo Mittelstadt goal pic.twitter.com/l2aalPHNkU
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) April 15, 2023
Peyton Krebs made it a 5-2 game at 17:27 after his backhand shot from the left doorstep went off of Billy Sweezey and in.
With the loss, the Jackets finish the season at 25-48-9.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: BUF 36-31 CBJ
- Faceoff %: BUF 58.0-42.0 CBJ
- Power play: BUF 0/1-0/1 CBJ
- Takeaways: BUF 5-5 CBJ
- Giveaways: BUF 3-7 CBJ
- Blocked shots: BUF 12-15 CBJ
- Hits: BUF 5-15 CBJ
- 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): BUF 3.65-3.00 CBJ
- Chances (CF): BUF 65-49 CBJ
- Shots (SF): BUF 37-29 CBJ
- Scoring Chances (SCF): BUF 45-33 CBJ
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): BUF 13-12 CBJ
Injury Update
Jon Gillies left the game with a lower-body injury.
Next Up
The next big date for the Blue Jackets is May 8, when the NHL will hold its annual draft lottery at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
