Buffalo 5, Columbus 4
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, April 9, 2011
Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Referees:
Steve Kozari, Rob Martell
Linesmen:
Bryan Pancich, Vaughan Rody
Attendance:
18717
By SportsDirect Inc.
Drew Stafford and Paul Gaustad scored power-play goals 61 seconds apart in the final period and the visiting Buffalo Sabres wrapped up the regular season with a 5-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night.
Jason Pominville, defenseman Chris Butler and Tyler Ennis also scored as Buffalo won its fourth consecutive game entering the playoffs.
The Sabres (43-29-10) secured the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the Atlantic Division champion Philadelphia Flyers in the quarterfinals.
Ryan Miller made 20 saves and Jhonas Enroth turned aside 12 shots in relief of the reigning Vezina Trophy winner midway through the second period.
Kristian Huselius scored two goals, including a power-play tally with 23 seconds to play, and Derek Dorsett and Jared Boll had goals for Columbus (34-35-13), which lost its last six games and 10 of its final 11.
With the score tied at 3-3, former Sabres captain Craig Rivet drew a cross-checking penalty and game misconduct that led to the power-play tallies by Stafford and Gaustad.
Steve Mason made 25 saves for Columbus.
Top Game Performances
| Buffalo |
|
Columbus |
|
Brad Boyes 3 |
Points |
Kristian Huselius 2 |
|
Paul Gaustad 1 |
Goals |
Kristian Huselius 2 |
|
Brad Boyes 3 |
Assists |
Derick Brassard 1 |
|
Paul Gaustad 1 |
Power Play Goals |
Kristian Huselius 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Ryan Miller .952 |
Save Percentage |
Steve Mason .833 |
|
Ryan Miller 20 |
Saves |
Steve Mason 25 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Buffalo
|
30 |
5 |
2-4 |
3-4 |
10 |
22 |
| Columbus
|
36 |
4 |
1-4 |
2-4 |
19 |
33 |
Upcoming Games
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Sabres have a W/L % of .395 after a win and .667 after a loss.