Buffalo Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian celebrates his goal during the second period with Buffalo Sabres center Sam Reinhart against the Ottawa Senators at First Niagara Center.Timothy T. Ludwig
Rookie Sam Reinhart had a goal and an assist and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Friday night.
Nick Deslauriers and Zach Bogosian also scored for Buffalo, and Chad Johnson made 32 saves Alex Chiasson scored for the Senators, who got 31 stops from Craig Anderson.
A third consecutive road loss dimmed the Senators' playoff hopes. Having won two straight at home entering Friday, Ottawa remained seven points behind Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Reinhart and fellow rookie Jack Eichel set up Bogosian for his score that gave the Sabres a two-goal lead midway through the second period. Eichel skated around three defenders and passed to Reinhart at the left edge of the crease. Reinhart sent the puck to Bogosian for a wide-open shot on the other side of the net.
Ottawa's Scott Gomez had a power-play goal overturned early in the third period when replays showed he knocked the puck into the net with his glove. The Senators are 0 for 21 on the power play in the last eight games.
Buffalo entered with a league-low 37 goals in the opening period, but scored twice in the first 8:17 to take an early lead.
The Sabres appeared to score within the first two minutes when Zemgus Girgensons was taken down by Ottawa defenceman Dion Phaneuf and the puck went into the net off Phaneuf's stick. The goal was overturned on replay and Phaneuf received a two-minute slashing penalty.
Reinhart put Buffalo ahead 12 seconds into the power play, redirecting the rebound off Rasmus Ristolainen's shot from the point for his 20th goal of the season.
Chiasson scored off a rebound of Mike Hoffman's shot from the slot to tie it at 5:33 of the first.
DesLauriers made it 2-1 less than three minutes later. Ryan O'Reilly sent a cross-crease pass to the left side of the net and DesLauriers beat Anderson with a sliding one-timer.
NOTES: Sabres G Robin Lehner sat out and will also be rested for Saturday's game in Toronto due to lingering soreness in his right ankle. Lehner missed three months after sustaining a high ankle sprain opening night. ... With D Carlo Colaiacovo (lower-body injury) also sitting out, the Sabres recalled D Chad Ruhwedel and G Nathan Liewen on Friday. Ruhwedel saved a goal with 7:41 remaining in the third. ... The Senators allowed a power-play goal for the first time in five games. ... Reinhart and Jack Eichel are the first pair of Sabres rookies with 20-goal seasons since the 1974-75 season (Danny Gare and Peter McNab). ... Buffalo and Ottawa split the season series 2-2.