Kukan scores twice, Blue Jackets beat Sabres

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dean Kukan had two goals and an assist, Jean-Francois Berube stopped 33 shots in his first NHL start in nearly four years, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-3 Sunday night.

Brendan Gaunce had a goal and two assists and Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist for Columbus, while and Zach Werenski, Gus Nyquist and Justin Danforth also scored. Patrik Laine added two assists as the Blue Jackets won for the seventh time in nine games and swept the three-game season series with Buffalo.

Berube last played April 6, 2018, for Chicago in a loss to St. Louis.

“That’s why I play hockey, to be here,” Berube said. “Lots of emotion tonight. I’ve been through some tough times. I always kept my eyes where I wanted to be.”

Mark Pysyk, Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo scored for Buffalo. Craig Anderson stopped 32 shots in the Sabres' third straight loss.

“We just looked tired," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "Tired plays, tired mistakes, physically tired, mentally tired a little. We just couldn’t finish simple stuff.”

Kukan put Columbus ahead 3-2 at 3:28 of the second period with his second of the night, a wrister from the blue line that caught Anderson by surprise to mark his first two-goal game and first three-point game.

“We had an excellent start,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larson said. “I liked their legs. They were throwing pucks and playing very simple, and that brought us into the game.”

Columbus looked to go up 4-2 less than a minute later but Laine’s goal was waived off for offsides. Werenski, however, got that goal back at 8:16 off a perfect feed from Oliver Bjorkstrand that made it 4-2.

Gaunce’s breakaway off a perfect feed from Laine at 17:43 of the second period put Columbus ahead 5-2