After a tough loss on Thursday night, the Sabres wanted to maintain their composure and play the same style. They accomplished that on Saturday night as they defeated the Ottawa Senators by a 4-0 score at the KeyBank Center.
Robin Lehner had a spectacular night in goal, sweeping away all 37 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season. Lehner has gone 5-1-1 in his last seven starts and is playing confident hockey.
The Sabres got a much-needed pair of points, but it’s just a small step as they need to keep playing like this.
“It’s nice to get rewarded,” Jack Eichel said. “We played a good team game. To be able to hold them to no goals is a good accomplishment. We need to build on this, have a good practice tomorrow, go to New Jersey and get two points.”
Kyle Okposo looked to have a jump in his step all night and it paid off for him. He opened the scoring after a brilliant individual effort before putting the shot past Mike Condon.
Sam Reinhart had a pretty goal of his own after Eichel set the play up. Reinhart had a couple of chances in front and beat Condon in the top corner.
Condon’s night came to an end after Marcus Foligno took a quick shot from a sharp angle that went between his legs. He finished the night making 21 of 25 saves. Andrew Hammond came on in relief and stopped the only shot he faced.
Ryan O’Reilly netted his 10th of the season on a redirection that Rasmus Ristolainen blasted from the point.
“It’s a big win for us and it’s a good two points, but there’s still things we need to work on,” Robin Lehner said. “We want to be a better team.”
The Sabres will have a day off before they head to the Prudential Center to take on the New Jersey Devils. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday.