Luukkonen makes 35 saves, Sabres shut out Senators

OTTAWA -- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves, and the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-0 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

“That was a game we kind of haven’t done enough times this season, where kind of everybody focuses on their own job,” Luukkonen said. “I feel like everyone did their job really well tonight. I think it was a good team effort and that’s how we have to play to win.”

It was Luukkonen’s second shutout of the season and seventh in the NHL. He’s 5-1-1 in his past seven starts.

“I feel like the defense played a really big part in [the win] today,” Luukkonen said. “You know, it’s a shutout, but I feel like it’s a team effort every time. They were clearing rebounds and boxing out well tonight.”

Ryan McLeod had a goal and two assists, Jack Quinn scored twice, and Dylan Cozens scored for the Sabres (16-21-5), who have won two straight.

“We talked about the fact that we get to play all the teams we need to catch [in the standings],” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “When you’re playing those teams, you’ve got to play well. It doesn’t matter where you’re playing; playing at home or on the road, you’ve got to play well. We know we’ve dug ourselves a hole, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And I said this: 'To come out of something we went through, you’re going to come out a better team.'”

Anton Forsberg made 17 saves for the Senators (19-18-3), who have been outscored 15-4 during a four-game losing streak (0-3-1). It was the team’s first home game since Dec. 14 following a nine-game road trip (4-4-1).

“We've been gone for a long time now, and we talked about it before the game,” Ottawa forward Josh Norris said. “We wanted to come out and have a good game in front of our fans. It's been a while, and yeah, it [stinks] that we didn't do that for them.”

Quinn gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 10:17 of the first period when he beat Forsberg with a wrist shot low blocker on the rush. Quinn, a native of Cobden, Ontario, an hour west of Ottawa, had “a lot” of family and friends in the building.

“I think my game is to be an offensive producer and score, so some tough times at the start of the year,” Quinn said of scoring one goal in his first 24 games this season. “Things were feeling a lot harder for me than years before, for some reason. But it’s nice to see some of the work I’ve been putting in pay off.”

Quinn made it 2-0 at 13:17. He took a Peyton Krebs stretch pass fresh out of the penalty box and scored with a wrist shot top left on a breakaway.

“I gave him a little yell because I was open, but he saw me the whole way,” Quinn said of Krebs. “It was a great play by him to kind of wait it out for the [defenseman’s] stick to get out of the way and he put it right on my tape.”

Cozens pushed it to 3-0 at 4:11 of the second period when he intercepted a Nick Jensen clearing attempt and scored with a wrist shot from the slot.

“It just wasn't good,” Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot said of the team’s performance. “There's no way around it. Nobody can hide behind anything. From top to bottom, the whole team just was not good enough. Simple as that.”

Ottawa left the ice at the end of the second period to a chorus of boos.

“Fans want us to win,” Senators coach Travis Green said. “You never like to hear boos, but they’re passionate and pay good money to come to the game and want us to win. Again, when you look at the game, like really step away and look at it, I don’t really believe it was a 4-0 game where another team was all over us. It was far from that, but there were some plays that you can’t make, and teams are going to make you pay the price.”

McLeod’s centering pass attempt redirected in off of Chabot’s skate to make it 4-0 at 10:22. It was his first goal in 24 games.

“I’m trying to step up," McLeod said. "I’ve been obviously elevated in the lineup, trying to do a little bit more offensively. It was good to get on the board tonight.”

NOTES: Ottawa forward Noah Gregor left the game late in the second with a lower-body injury after crashing feet first into the boards. Gregor will “be out for a little while,” Green said. … It was McLeod’s first three-point game since Nov. 26, 2022 (three assists).