Knies scores twice as Blue Jackets turn first-period surge into 6-3 win over Sabres

A one-goal Buffalo lead disappeared in just over six minutes

Buffalo struck first at 7:21 of the opening period when Mattias Samuelsson scored on a snap shot, with Noah Ostlund and Owen Power collecting the assists. It was a useful start for the Sabres, who generated the first lead of the night and briefly put Columbus on its heels.

The Blue Jackets answered at 12:51 through Cole Sillinger, who pulled the game level off feeds from Charlie Coyle and Denton Mateychuk. That equalizer changed the feel of the period, and Columbus used the final stretch of the first to seize control of the scoreboard.

Knies put Columbus ahead at 17:58 on a snap shot from Coyle and Zach Werenski, then Adam Fantilli extended the lead to 3-1 at 18:44 with a deflection set up by Werenski and Knies. Those two goals arrived 46 seconds apart, turning a tied game into a Columbus cushion before intermission.

Every Buffalo push met a Columbus reply

The Sabres refused to let the game run away. Jack Quinn cut the deficit to 3-2 just 1:25 into the second period, finishing a play started by Zach Benson and Ostlund. For Buffalo, that was the first of two chances to reset the night after the damaging end to the first.

Columbus answered again at 7:45 of the second. Knies tipped home his second goal of the night, this time with Emil Andrae and Kent Johnson earning the assists, to restore a two-goal margin at 4-2. Buffalo found another response at 13:14 when Konsta Helenius scored from Ryan McLeod and Power, trimming the game back to 4-3 heading to the third.

That one-goal gap held deep into the final period, which kept the pressure on both benches even without a flood of shots. Columbus finally created breathing room at 14:21 of the third when Sean Monahan scored off passes from Valeri Nichushkin and Dmitri Voronkov. Mathieu Olivier added the final goal at 17:53, with Coyle picking up his third assist of the night, and that shut the door on Buffalo’s last remaining path back.

Our take: Columbus won the details that usually decide close games

This was not a night when Columbus overwhelmed Buffalo by volume. The Blue Jackets took 23 shots to the Sabres’ 26, but they were sharper in the areas that often tilt a close contest. Columbus won 55.4 per cent of the faceoffs, blocked 15 shots to Buffalo’s eight and made its special-teams edge count by going 2-for-3 on the power play while Buffalo finished 0-for-5.

The individual performances matched those team advantages. Knies drove the scoresheet with two goals and an assist, Coyle touched three Columbus goals, and Werenski added two assists from the back end. Fantilli scored once and was excellent on draws, winning 16 of 20 faceoffs. Jet Greaves was not asked to steal the game, but his 23 saves on 26 shots were steady enough once Columbus built the lead. On the Buffalo side, Ostlund and Power each posted two assists, and Helenius joined Samuelsson and Quinn on the goal list, so there was enough offence to threaten without enough structure to finish the comeback.

Our take: the Sabres can point directly to two improvement areas from this result. A power play that went empty across five opportunities left too much on the table, and 15 giveaways made a difficult night harder. Columbus, for its part, should still look hard at the penalty ledger. The Blue Jackets took six penalties for 15 minutes and handed Buffalo repeated chances to change the game. That concern is real even in a three-goal win. Still, when a team gets multi-point nights from Knies and Coyle, wins the faceoff battle and finishes its power plays, it usually deserves the result it gets.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 7:21

   Mattias Samuelsson Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Noah Ostlund (1), Owen Power (1)

2. 1st · 12:51

   Cole Sillinger Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Charlie Coyle (1), Denton Mateychuk (1)

3. 1st · 17:58

   Matthew Knies Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Charlie Coyle (2), Zach Werenski (1)

4. 1st · 18:44

   Adam Fantilli Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Zach Werenski (2), Matthew Knies (1)

5. 2nd · 1:25

   Jack Quinn Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Zach Benson (1), Noah Ostlund (2)

6. 2nd · 7:45

   Matthew Knies Goal (2) Tip-In, assists: Emil Andrae (1), Kent Johnson (1)

7. 2nd · 13:14

   Konsta Helenius Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Ryan McLeod (1), Owen Power (2)

8. 3rd · 14:21

   Sean Monahan Goal (1) Snap Shot, assists: Valeri Nichushkin (1), Dmitri Voronkov (1)

9. 3rd · 17:53

   Mathieu Olivier Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Charlie Coyle (3)