Sabres Beat Blue Jackets 5-2 as Norris Scores Twice

Josh Norris scored twice and Owen Power had three assists as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 on Friday night at KeyBank Center.

Norris ended a six-game goal drought and scored his first goal since October 17. Buffalo won for the fourth time in five games and matched its season high for goals in a home game. The Sabres outshot Columbus 37-26.

Jack Quinn opened the scoring at 6:50 of the first period with his ninth goal of the season. Kent Johnson tied the game at 16:00 with his eighth, for Columbus. Norris restored Buffalo's lead at 18:10, using Quinn as a decoy as he moved toward the net and shooting the puck past Jet Greaves.

The second period decided it

Buffalo scored three times in the second period and took the game away. Rasmus Dahlin made it 3-1 at 4:30 with a one-timer from above the right circle. Norris scored his second of the night at 9:46, handling the puck in front of the net before beating Greaves. Josh Doan made it 5-1 at 10:53, just over a minute later, finishing a play started by Noah Ostlund and Quinn.

The Sabres outshot the Blue Jackets 19-11 in the second period. Columbus got the only goal of the third, a power-play goal by Zach Werenski at 18:21, but the game was already settled.

Key numbers

• Final score: Buffalo 5, Columbus 2
• Goals: Quinn (9th of the season), Norris 2, Dahlin, Doan for Buffalo; Johnson, Werenski for Columbus
• Owen Power: 3 assists
• Shots: Buffalo 37, Columbus 26
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 24 saves for Buffalo
• Jet Greaves: 32 saves on 37 shots for Columbus
• Records: Buffalo 8-5-3, Columbus 7-8-0

Injuries and what it means

Columbus forward Sean Monahan left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury, sustained while blocking a shot, and did not return. That loss thinned a Blue Jackets team that has struggled away from home. Reuters noted Columbus fell to 1-5-0 on the road with the loss, and the Columbus Dispatch reported the Blue Jackets dropped to 0-3-0 in the second game of back-to-back sets this season.

For Buffalo, the win was a scoring answer at home. Reuters reported the Sabres had scored just 15 goals in their previous seven home games before Friday's five-goal night. Norris, who entered the game with two goals on the season, doubled that total in one night. Buffalo now sits at 8-5-3, with four wins in its last five games, and Power's three-assist night gave the defense a direct hand in the offense.