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OTTAWA — Derek Roy scored the shootout-winner to go along with two assists in regulation as the Buffalo Sabres kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators Thursday.
Sabres captain Jason Pominville also beat goalie Martin Gerber in shootout, while Maxim Afinogenov, Jochen Hecht and Paul Gaustad scored in regulation.
Buffalo is five points behind Boston for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with five games remaining.
Mike Fisher scored twice to break out of a scoring slump and Jason Spezza scored in both regulation and shootout for Ottawa, which moved to within four points of division and Eastern conference leader Montreal. The Canadiens are idle Thursday, but play at Buffalo on Friday.
Derek Roy, right, celebrates his winning shootout goal against Ottawa's Martin Gerber with teammate Paul Gaustad. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)
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- Buffalo Sabres
- New York Rangers
- Ottawa Senators
- Maxim Afinogenov
- Daniel Alfredsson
- Mike Fisher
- Paul Gaustad
- Martin Gerber
- Jochen Hecht
- Brian Lee
- Andrej Meszaros
- Ryan Miller
- Jason Pominville
- Wade Redden
- Derek Roy
- Jason Spezza
- Cory Stillman
- Antoine Vermette
Antoine Vermette and Andrei Meszaros each finished with a pair of assists for the Sens.
Ryan Miller made 25 saves following his 30th straight start and career-best 72nd game of the season, to tie the Sabres all-time single-season record.
Gerber, who stopped 37 shots in his 13th straight start, failed to win his 100th career NHL game.
Spezza opened the scoring with his 33rd of the season at 7:35 of the first period, beating Miller inside the left post with a soft wrist shot.
Less than a minute later, Afinogenov solved Gerber from his knees as Ottawa failed to clear the puck in their own zone. Then, Hecht converted Pominville's point-shot for a power-play goal at 12:45 and the Sabres led 2-1 after one period.
Fisher scored just his third goal in 29 games after successfully working a give-and-go with Vermette to tie the game 2-2 in the second before tapping in goal at 3:58 of the third period to make 3-2.
Gaustad scored at 18:34 to send the game into overtime.
Roy 13 points in his last seven games.
The Sabres gave up five goals in an eight-minute span of the third period to lose to the Senators 6-3 in Buffalo on Tuesday.
Ottawa, which finished the season series 5-2-1 against the Sabres, has four games left, a pair against the Bruins, and one each against the Canadiens and Maple Leafs.
The Sabres have five games left, including a pair against the Canadiens.
NOTES: Senators left wing Cory Stillman sustained a lower body injury in the first period and did not return ... The Senators assured rookie defenceman Brian Lee, who made his NHL debut Tuesday at Buffalo, that he will remain with the team for the rest of the regular season rather than face a demotion to the American League... Lee, Ottawa's ninth overall pick in 2005 who turned 21 on Wednesday, broke into the lineup following a knee injury to Wade Redden, who missed a second straight game ...Lee's parents Rich and Carol drove to Ottawa from Minnesota to watch his NHL home debut Ottawa F Jesse Winchester, 24, is waiting to make his NHL debut after the former NCAA star with Colgate signed with the Senators on Monday. ..Senators blue-liner Luke Richardson, an Ottawa native playing in his 21st season with his sixth team, celebrated his 39th birthday on Wednesday.
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