Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson score twice as Sabres pounce on Senators early, hang on for 6-4 win
Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson each scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators 6-4 on Tuesday night
ByThe Associated Press
October 24, 2023, 10:05 PM
Buffalo Sabres defenceman Erik Johnson (6) gets caught up on the back of Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (85) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Oct. 24. 2023, in Ottawa, Ontario. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Associated Press
OTTAWA, Ontario — Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson each scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Ottawa Senators 6-4 on Tuesday night.
On a night meant to honor former Ottawa Senators star goaltender Craig Anderson, it was two high-powered offenses that stole the show.
Anderson, who serves as a hockey liaison for the Buffalo Sabres, watched the visitors cruise to a 5-1 lead before almost letting it all slip away.
A furious rally by the Senators narrowed the deficit to 5-4 with 35 seconds remaining, but Thompson got an empty-netter for his second goal of the night and locked down a wild win.
Zemgus Girgensons and Alex Tuch also added goals for the Sabres.
Jakob Chychrun, Vladimir Tarasenko, Josh Norris and Mathieu Joseph scored for Ottawa.
Senators starter Anton Forsberg was chased from the net after allowing five goals on 18 shots through two periods. Joonas Korpisalo made five saves in the third. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the win for Buffalo with 34 saves.
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk left the game late in the second period after what looked like a light, routine collision with Sabres center Peyton Krebs.
Tkachuk was immediately distressed, however, appearing to favor his shoulder as he threw off his glove and sprinted off the ice and down the hall to the Senators’ locker room.
The Canadian Tire Centre crowd let out a sigh of relief when Tkachuk returned for the third period, but it made little difference in a game in which the listless Senators were already trailing 5-1.
The Senators’ loss came on a night dedicated to their former star netminder and owner of the franchise record with 202 wins.
Anderson signed a one-day contract earlier in the day to end his career on the team he spent 10 years with.
NOTES: Anderson dropped the puck for a ceremonial faceoff that featured the two starting goalies instead of the team captains. … Artem Zub missed his second consecutive game after taking a puck in the ear last week.
UP NEXT
Sabres: At New Jersey Devils on Friday.
Senators: At New York Islanders on Thursday.
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