Shane Pinto scored one goal and made three assists, contributing to the Ottawa Senators’ strong start in their 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday evening.
Artem Zub got things going for the Senators with a goal just 2 minutes and 37 seconds into the game. By the 8 minutes and 49 seconds mark of the first period, Ottawa was already leading 4-0, with Pinto sealing the deal with an empty-net goal.
Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun, and Drake Batherson each added a goal and an assist in a game between two teams from the Atlantic Division, both of which are likely to miss the playoffs. Goalkeeper Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves, extending his winning streak to five wins in his last six starts.
“It felt great to start off strong,” Pinto said, unable to contain his laughter. “When you have a start like that, it’s just fantastic. We had a blast out there in the first period.”
This win was a rare moment of enjoyment for the Senators in a season where they have fallen short of expectations and are likely to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.
It was another disappointing result for the Sabres, who are sliding further away from playoff contention and could extend their NHL-record drought of missing the playoffs to 13 years. “I was quite surprised. I felt like our season was on the line,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “They came out strong and took it to us, and we didn’t have a response.”
Clifton and JJ Peterka scored goals for the Sabres in the second period. Goalkeeper Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was replaced after allowing four goals on nine shots, with Devon Levi taking over and allowing one goal on 32 shots.
The slow start by the Sabres reflected a team still adjusting to playing at home after spending much of the past week on the road, ending with a 4-1 win against Calgary on Sunday. Buffalo lost three out of five games on the trip and is now eight points behind in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Senators’ fourth line set the tone early on by scoring the first two goals of the game. Zub opened the scoring, followed by Katchouk’s goal just minutes later. Chychrun’s goal prompted Luukkonen’s replacement, and Tkachuk scored the fifth goal for Ottawa in the final minute of the period.
This marked the 17th time the Senators have scored at least five goals in a single period, the first time since April 23, 2022, against Montreal.
Coach Jacques Martin mentioned that defenseman Thomas Chabot would undergo evaluation after leaving the game with an undisclosed injury in the third period.
