OTTAWA — Jack Quinn scored twice and the Buffalo Sabres spoiled the Ottawa Senators' homecoming with a 4-0 win Thursday night.
Dylan Cozens and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Sabres (16-21-5), while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen provided solid goaltending with 35 saves.
Anton Forsberg stopped 17 shots in the defeat for Ottawa (19-18-3). The Senators returned to the Canadian Tire Centre after a nine-game road trip and nearly a month away, having vacated for the world junior hockey championship.
Their lacklustre performance left fans booing the home team, which is staring at a four-game losing streak (0-3-1). Ottawa has been outscored 15-4 during that stretch.
Quinn buried his first midway through the first period to open the scoring. He made it 2-0 later in the frame, taking a Peyton Krebs pass at centre ice as he stepped out of the penalty box before going bar-down for his seventh of the season.
A Nick Jensen turnover early in the second allowed Cozens to beat Forsberg. McLeod made it 4-0 midway through the period.
Takeaways
Senators: Failed to convert their chances and had too many defensive breakdowns.
Sabres: Capitalized on their opportunities and benefited from a couple good bounces.
Key moment
Leading 3-0, the Sabres put the game well out of reach when McLeod benefited from an attempted pass deflecting off Thomas Chabot’s skate and into the net.
Key stat
The Senators have gone 1-5-1 since Dec. 21, scoring an NHL-worst 1.67 goals per game during that span.
Up next
Senators: Head to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins on Saturday.
Sabres: Host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press