The Buffalo Sabers, despite being stuck in the longest playoff drought in NHL history, seem to be doing a favor for the Ottawa Senators. Bowen Byram scored his second goal of the night just 31 seconds into overtime, securing a 3-2 win for the Sabers at the Canadian Tire Center on Tuesday, right before the league’s three-day Christmas break.
This marks Buffalo’s sixth consecutive victory over Ottawa and their seventh win in a row overall. Tim Stuetzle and Ridley Greig scored for the Senators, snapping their four-game winning streak. Greig tied the game late in the first period with a skilled backhand shot, giving Ottawa a 2-1 lead. Stuetzle equalized in the second period with a strong wrist shot that hit the post before going in. After that, both teams were held scoreless for the rest of regulation.
In overtime, Ryan McLeod carried the puck into Ottawa’s zone from the left side. Defenders Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson were a bit out of position, enabling McLeod to pass easily to Byram, who managed to score after a tricky sequence involving goalie Ullmark’s glove. Ullmark finished the game with 22 saves and ended his four-game winning streak, while Alex Lyon stopped 24 shots to earn the win.
The Senators missed the opportunity to climb into the playoff picture before the break. Despite this, Ottawa holds a strong record of 5-1-1 in their last seven games and enters the holiday pause with a narrow one-point lead over the Florida Panthers and the resurgent Sabers. Ottawa’s next matchup is Saturday evening against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Fan Take: This game highlights just how competitive and unpredictable the NHL can be, especially with rising teams like Buffalo starting to challenge established franchises. For hockey fans, it’s thrilling to see underdog teams making strong pushes, signaling an exciting shift in the league’s dynamics and promising intense battles ahead.
