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Ellis, Sabres top Maple Leafs

Apr 2, 2015 - 4:43 AM Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Ellis scored the game-winning goal early in the third period as the Buffalo Sabres topped the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on Wednesday.

Matt Moulson, Zac Dalpe and Cody Hodgson all lit the lamp, captain Brian Gionta tallied two assists and Anders Lindback made 24 saves for the Sabres, who ended a five-game losing streak.

"To get a goal, and to get a victory, doesn't get much better than that," Ellis said. "It's a special feeling."

Eric Brewer, James van Riemsdyk and Nazem Kadri each scored, while Jonathan Bernier allowed all four goals on 31 shots for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped eight of their last 10 games.

They were coming off Tuesday's 3-1 win over Tampa Bay, one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

"You like to think you're going to continue from where you left off," said Maple Leafs interim coach Peter Horachek. "We were just too sloppy."

Early in the third, Moulson's one-timer in the slot off Johan Larsson's feed from behind the net while on the power play tied the game 1:33 into the frame.

Ellis gave Buffalo a 4-3 lead less than two minutes later after he took a cross-ice pass from Nikita Zadorov, skated around Bernier and backhanded a shot past the diving netminder.

Toronto pulled Bernier with two minutes to play and went on a power-play with 1:19 remaining, but Buffalo weathered the storm to hold on for the win.

The Sabres opened the scoring 6:48 into the game as Andrej Meszaros' shot in the slot deflected off Ellis' skate and Dalpe was there to backhand it through Bernier's pads for a goal.

Brewer tied the game with 3:19 left in the first with a slap shot from just inside the blue line.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead just 47 seconds into the middle stanza. Phil Kessel sent a pass from the right circle to a streaking van Riemsdyk, who shuffled a backhander past Lindback.

Kadri increased the Maple Leafs' lead by moving into the left circle and wristing a shot past a screened Lindback with 6:36 left in the second, but Hodgson countered with a backhanded wraparound 30 seconds later for a 3-2 game.

Game Notes

Dalpe and Ellis each potted their first goal of the season ... Buffalo improved to 15-1-1 in its last 17 home games against Toronto ... In the series, the home team has won 19 of the last 21 matchups ... Sabres forward Tyler Ennis returned to the lineup after missing two games with a shoulder injury, while defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen was out with an illness ... Maple Leafs forwards Tyler Bozak and Kessel each supplied two assists.