Robin Lehner makes 37 saves and Kyle Okposo scores 2 goal in the 3-1 victory over the Jets.
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA — Robin Lehner made 37 saves and Kyle Okposo scored twice to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre on Sunday.
Lehner missed three games with a stomach illness, having last played on Oct. 20 in a 2-1 loss against the Vancouver Canucks.
Buffalo grabbed a 2-0 lead midway through the first period on goals by Okposo, and team captain Brian Gionta. The Greece native’s second period goal ended up being the game winner for Buffalo (3-3-2).
Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson allowed three goals on 15 shots before being pulled in favor of Connor Hellebuyck in the second period. Hellebuyck stopped all 13 shots he faced.
The Jets were 0-for-6 on the power play.
Okposo’s initial shot was blocked by Jets defenseman Toby Enstrom but fell back on the stick of Okposo, who sent his second shot over Hutchinson’s glove hand for a 1-0 lead at 10:51 of the third period.
Gionta scored to make it 2-0 at 12:49 of the first period. His initial shot was saved by Hutchinson, who was unable to get his glove on the puck, allowing Gionta to get his stick on it for his third of the season.
Okposo scored his second of the game at 13:59 of the second period. Ryan O’Reilly picked out Okposo down the left side and Okposo’s wrist shot beat Hutchinson on the far side.
Ehlers scored to make it 3-1 at 4:49 of the third period. Blake Wheeler’s point shot went wide left of Lehner off the end boards and came out on his right side to Ehlers, who scored his second the season.
Jets defenseman Tyler Myers was scratched prior to the game because of a lower-body injury.
Sabres forward Hudson Fasching left the game in the first period with a groin injury and did not return.
The Sabres also announced that the team recalled forward Nick Baptiste from the Rochester Americans.
Baptiste (21, 6-foot-1, 206 lbs.) joined the team for his second career recall after recording one goal and a plus-1 rating in his first two NHL games earlier this season. The Ottawa, Ontario native scored two goals in Rochester’s 5-2 win at St. John’s last night and has 5 points (3+2) in 5 games with the Americans this season.