Sabres 5 - 4 Blue Jackets
Final
  for this game

Sabres beat Blue Jackets, to meet Flyers in playoffs

Apr 10, 2011 - 2:07 AM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - Paul Gaustad and Jason Pominville each had a goal and an assist, as the playoff-bound Buffalo Sabres finished their regular-season schedule with a 5-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Chris Butler, Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford also lit the lamp for the Sabres, who clinched the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. Buffalo and Montreal both finished with 96 points, but the Canadiens got the sixth spot due to more non-shootout wins. Montreal beat Toronto on Saturday.

Buffalo (43-29-10) takes a four-game winning streak into the playoffs, where they will meet the Atlantic Division champion Flyers in the first round. Philadelphia defeated the Islanders on Saturday to clinch the No. 2 seed.

Ryan Miller stopped 20-of-21 shots before giving way to Jhonas Enroth, who made 12 saves for the victors.

Kristian Huselius scored a pair of goals for the Blue Jackets (34-35-13), who dropped six straight to end the season. Derek Dorsett and Jared Boll also lit the lamp.

Steve Mason made 25 saves in defeat.

With the score tied at 3-3, Stafford put Buffalo ahead with a power-play goal at the 12:11 mark of the third. Pominville controlled the puck at the top of the right circle and slid a pass to the slot. Stafford made a nice spinning move before putting a backhander past Mason.

Gaustad lit the lamp on the power play just over a minute later to give the Sabres a 5-3 lead. Brad Boyes' shot from the top of the left circle was deflected in by Gaustad.

Huselius scored with 23 seconds left to account for the final margin.

Following a scoreless first period, the Blue Jackets got on the board at the 4:15 mark of the second. Dorsett's wrap-around goal gave Columbus a 1-0 edge.

Buffalo tied the game just over three minutes later. Steve Montador controlled the puck at the bottom of the right circle and slid a pass to the slot. Pominville's one-timer got past Mason.

The Sabres took a 2-1 lead at the 11:51 mark of the middle stanza. Butler's slapper from the top of the left circle got past Mason.

Ennis gave Buffalo a 3-1 margin with 4:48 remaining. Columbus turned the puck over behind its own net and Boyes was there to gather the disc for the Sabres. He slid a pass in front to Ennis, who found the back of the net.

The Blue Jackets made it a one-goal game again over a minute later. Boll jammed home a rebound on the backhand to make it 3-2.

Huselius made it a 3-3 game at the 2:37 mark of the third period.

Game Notes

Buffalo took both games from Columbus this season...The Sabres were winless (0-3-1) in their previous four trips to Columbus...Philadelphia and Buffalo split four games this year...Boyes had three assists.






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