Josh Norris scored two goals and Owen Power recorded three assists as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 at KeyBank Center on Friday. Buffalo pulled away with three second-period goals to secure the win.
Jack Quinn opened the scoring for Buffalo at 6:50 of the first period with a backhand shot. Kent Johnson answered for Columbus at 16:00, tying the game on a snap shot. Norris gave Buffalo the lead for good at 18:10 of the opening frame, beating Jet Greaves on a snap shot off a setup from Power.
The Sabres extended their advantage during the second period. Rasmus Dahlin scored on a slap shot at 4:30, and Norris added his second of the game on a backhand at 9:46. Josh Doan deflected in Buffalo's fifth goal just 1:07 later at 10:53. Zach Werenski scored on a wrist shot during a late Columbus power play at 18:21 of the third period to complete the scoring.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 24 saves on 26 shots for Buffalo, while Greaves stopped 32 of 37 shots for Columbus. The Blue Jackets went 1 for 3 on the power play, while the Sabres finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage.
With the result, Buffalo improved its regular-season record to 8-5-3 and evened the season series against Columbus at one game apiece. The Blue Jackets fell to 7-8-0.
The Sabres will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday afternoon. The Blue Jackets return home to host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.
