COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jeff Skinner had a goal and two assists, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night in the season finale for both teams.
Casey Mittelstadt had a goal and an assist, and Victor Olofsson, Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs also scored for Buffalo. Devon Levi stopped 29 shots for the Sabres, who were eliminated from playoff contention for the 12th straight season, the longest active postseason drought in the NHL.
Johnny Gaudreau and Tyler Angler scored for Columbus, which ended its season in 31st place and are guaranteed one of the top four picks in the NHL Draft. Jon Gillies stopped 24 shots before being replaced in this third period by Michael Hutchinson, who finished with seven saves.
Gaudreau put Columbus up 34 seconds into the first period, but much of the second period belonged to Buffalo, which got goals from Skinner, Olofsson and Tuch in a span of less than six minutes.
Angler pulled Columbus within one with his first NHL goal with 1:36 left in the second before Buffalo got third-period goals from Mittelstadt and Krebs.
