Buffalo ends its 5-game losing skid with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
By Joe Yerdon / NHL.com Correspondent
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Linus Ullmark made 44 saves to help the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at KeyBank Center on Thursday.
Ullmark, who was recalled from Rochester of the American Hockey League on Monday, made 18 saves in the third period in his season debut. The Sabres (11-24-9) ended a five-game losing streak (0-4-1).
Artemi Panarin scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for the Blue Jackets (25-17-3), who had won two straight and three of four.
Benoit Pouliot gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 11:41 of the first period when he put in a rebound of a shot by Kyle Okposo past Bobrovsky for his ninth goal.
Pouliot returned to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch on Tuesday.
Okposo made it 2-0 at 7:18 of the third period when a puck dumped into the Blue Jackets zone by Evander Kane took a funny hop off the Zamboni door in the corner right to Okposo, who shot it past Bobrovsky, who left the net in order to play the puck behind the net.
Rookie defenseman Brendan Guhle also had an assist for his first NHL point.
Panarin made it 2-1 at 13:45 with a power-play goal. Panarin skated through the neutral zone and toward the Sabres net, deked, and took a backhand shot that beat Ullmark over his left shoulder for his 12th goal.
Jack Eichel scored into an empty net with six seconds remaining for his 18th goal to make it 3-1.
Columbus center Alexander Wennberg returned after missing the previous eight games with a back injury.