National Hockey League
Columbus 4, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 8, 2016
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Tom Kowal, Jon McIsaac
Linesmen: Shandor Alphonso, Ryan Gibbons
Attendance: 19070

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Joonas Korpisalo made 34 saves and four players scored to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

Matt Calvert, Nick Foligno, Dalton Prout and Brandon Saad scored for the Blue Jackets (33-40-8).

Sam Reinhart tallied for the Sabres (34-36-11) while Jason Kasdorf made 26 saves in his NHL debut.

Calvert opened the scoring on the power play with 1:15 remaining in the first period. The left winger skated inside the left circle with speed before unleashing a hard wrist shot off the far post and in for his 10th goal of the season.

The Blue Jackets could not stay out of the penalty box in the second period, taking four separate penalties, and the Sabres eventually made them pay on a 5-on-3 opportunity. Reinhart put the Sabres on the board at 13:37 with a terrific deflection on a pass by fellow rookie Jack Eichel. It was Reinhart's 23rd goal.

The Blue Jackets soon took back control, despite being outshot 18-6 in the second.

Foligno made it 2-1 with 4:44 remaining in the second. After Columbus forced a turnover along the right wall, center Boone Jenner found a wide-open Foligno for his 12th goal.

Prout gave Columbus a 3-1 lead 2:09 later on a 3-on-2 rush up ice. Prout ripped a hard wrist shot high to the glove side for his third goal.

Saad made it 4-1 at 5:11 of the third. After Kasdorf lost track of the puck behind the net, center Alexander Wennberg found Saad wide open in the slot and Saad buried a one-timer for his 30th goal.

Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian left the game in the first period after taking a hard hit from Saad and did not return.

NOTES: LW Evander Kane (upper body), G Robin Lehner (ankle), D Cody Franson (neck), C Cal O'Reilly, D Casey Nelson and RW Hudson Fasching were scratched for the Sabres. ... RW Rene Bourque, RW David Clarkson (lower body), D Cody Goloubef (oblique), G Curtis McElhinney (knee), RW Jared Boll and D Fedor Tyutin (lower body) were scratched for the Blue Jackets. ... Buffalo native Cole Schneider made his NHL debut against Columbus. Schneider, acquired from Ottawa in an seven-player trade Feb. 27, is the sixth Buffalo native to appear in a regular-season game for the Sabres, joining Justin Bailey, Marcus Foligno, Patrick Kaleta, Tim Kennedy and Scott Thomas. ... The Sabres announced their team awards, as voted by the players, before the game -- Man of the Year: LW Marcus Foligno; Unsung Hero: G Chad Johnson; Rookie of the Year: C Jack Eichel; MVP: C Ryan O'Reilly.
Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   Buffalo
Matt Calvert 1 Points Sam Reinhart 1
Matt Calvert 1 Goals Sam Reinhart 1
Josh Anderson 1 Assists Jack Eichel 1
Matt Calvert 1 Power Play Goals Sam Reinhart 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Joonas Korpisalo .971 Save Percentage Jason Kasdorf .867
Joonas Korpisalo 34 Saves Jason Kasdorf 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 30 4 1-2 3-4 8 27
Buffalo 35 1 1-4 1-2 4 28
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against NY Islanders. The Sabres have a W/L % of .353 after a win and .468 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .394 after a win and .417 after a loss.