Watson scores winner, Senators beat Sabres

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Austin Watson scored the tiebreaker in the third period and Zach Sanford and Brady Tkachuk added goals as the Ottawa Senators beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Thursday night

Nick Holden had two assists and Anton Forsberg made 22 saves as the Senators improved to 5-2-1 in their last seven road games and 5-5-0 in their last 10 overall.

Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres. Craig Anderson stopped 25 of 27 shots against his former team. Buffalo had won two in a row and had earned a point in three straight.

Watson deflected Holden’s slap shot past Anderson for the go-ahead goal with 9:09 remaining in the third period, breaking an 18-game scoreless streak.

Sanford tied it for the Senators with 3:56 remaining in the second period. Former Sabre Tyler Ennis found Sanford alone in front of the net, where he moved the puck to his backhand and tucked it around Anderson’s glove for his eighth goal.

Tkachuk added an empty-net goal in the closing seconds, his 16th of the season.

Okposo gave the Sabres the lead on a power play with 6:23 left in the first period. Taking a long pass from Rasmus Asplund to set up a breakaway, Okposo beat Forsberg with a move from the right slot. Okposo’s 11th goal was his third in four games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Senators: G Matt Murray (undisclosed) did not make the trip to Buffalo. He was injured in the third period of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss against St. Louis when the Blues’ Oskar Sundqvist fell on top of him. … D Thomas Chabot (upper body) missed his second consecutive game and is expected to sit out two more before returning Tuesday against Minnesota.

Sabres: F Drake Caggiula will have season-ending fusion surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck, general manager Kevyn Adams said Thursday.