• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Sens edge Sabres

Feb 7, 2014 - 4:49 AM Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Milan Michalek scored twice in the third period, including the game-winner with 22.1 seconds to play, sending the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre.

With less than 30 seconds to play, Jason Spezza stickhandled around a defender in the slot before dishing to the inner half of the left circle for Michalek, who rifled a wrister high over the short side of Jhonas Enroth for a 3-2 lead.

Ottawa's Erik Condra went off for tripping at 19:44 to give Buffalo a late power play, but Craig Anderson came up with a huge save as the horn sounded to secure the Senators' second straight win.

Erik Karlsson scored Ottawa's other goal, Spezza added two assists and Anderson stopped 30 shots in the triumph.

"I thought we controlled a lot of the game," Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean said. "We stubbed our toe a little at the halfway point of the third period and gave up a couple of opportunities that ended up in the net but at the end of the game our best players stepped up and got us a win."

Drew Stafford notched a goal and an assist, while Tyler Ennis scored the Sabres' other goal in their fourth straight setback.

Enroth finished with 33 saves in defeat.

Karlsson opened the scoring 3:12 into the second stanza when his wrister from outside the right circle beat Enroth high to the glove side for a 1-0 lead.

Ottawa doubled its edge just 10 seconds into the third, as Spezza won a race to a loose disc deep in the Buffalo zone and dished to the low left side, where Michalek tapped it home for a 2-0 lead.

Ennis got the Sabres within a goal at 10:25 of the third, picking up a failed wraparound attempt from Stafford in the low left circle before roofing the disc over a sprawling Anderson to make it 2-1.

Stafford found the equalizer with 4:14 to play when he picked up a rebound in front before stuffing the puck past Anderson's outstretched left pad.

"It was a really good third period for us," Enroth said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't enough."

Game Notes

The Sabres have managed just six goals during their four-game skid ... Buffalo was playing its finally game before the Olympic break ... Stafford has scored in three straight games and has six goals and nine points in his last seven games played ... Ottawa will visit Boston on Saturday for its final game before the Olympics ... Buffalo went 0-for-7 on the power play ... Ottawa finished 0-for-3 on the power play.