Senators beat Devils 4-1; Sabres top Panthers 5-3

NEWARK, N.J. – Linus Ullmark made 29 saves and Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist as the Ottawa Senators beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Monday, Oct. 12, for their third straight win.

Shane Pinto scored 9 seconds into the second period and Stephen Halliday made it 2-0 on the power play at 8:40, with Stutzle assisting. Stutzle added a goal at 11:10 of the third, set up by Thomas Chabot, before Arseny Gritsyuk got one back for New Jersey at 14:59. Tyler Kleven sealed it into an empty net at 17:53.

Nico Daws stopped 16 shots for the Devils. Jesper Boqvist’s apparent goal at 11:58 of the third period was overturned after Ottawa challenged for goaltender interference.

Ottawa improved to 5-1-0, matching the franchise mark of five wins in six or fewer games for the third time. Ullmark is 5-0-0 this season and has allowed six goals, NHL.com reported.

The Senators finished the game with five defencemen after Nikolas Matinpalo was hurt on a boarding play by New Jersey’s Anthony Mantha, who drew a five-minute major at 10:01 of the first period. Matinpalo did not return.

In Buffalo, the Sabres beat the Florida Panthers 5-3 but lost captain Rasmus Dahlin to an upper-body injury.

Dahlin scored a power-play goal at 15:55 of the first period for a 2-1 lead, then left in the second period after being hit by a slap shot. Coach Lindy Ruff called him day to day, and Dahlin did not travel with the team for a three-game road trip that begins Tuesday in Montreal.

Florida tied it 3-3 on Sam Reinhart’s second power-play goal of the game at 13:41 of the second period, assisted by Brady Tkachuk. Noah Ostlund put Buffalo ahead on the power play at 7:15 of the third, and Tage Thompson added an insurance goal at 13:20, with Owen Power assisting.

Josh Doan and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Sabres. Colten Ellis allowed two goals on nine shots before Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 13 shots in relief to earn the win. Florida’s Jacob Markstrom was pulled after the first period, having allowed two goals on 11 shots, and Akira Schmid made 18 saves.

“I thought it was our best start,” Ruff said, calling it “probably our best hockey game” of the six played so far. Florida coach Paul Maurice said Markstrom “just tightened up, and so we pulled him.”

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Sources: NHL.com game recaps, ESPN box scores. Photo: file photo, not from the game described.