Owen Power picked up three assists Friday night, and Buffalo finally had the kind of offensive game that doesn't require Tage Thompson to carry the entire conversation.
The Sabres beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 at KeyBank Center, with Josh Norris scoring twice, Jack Quinn contributing a goal and an assist, and Power collecting helpers on three of Buffalo's five goals. Rasmus Dahlin and Josh Doan also scored. For a team trying to build some consistency at home, the variety of names on the scoresheet was encouraging.
Power's night is a useful place to start. A three-assist performance from a defenceman isn't something Buffalo can count on every game, but it illustrates what the Sabres can look like when their offence comes from more than one line or one obvious shooting threat. The team outshot Columbus 19-11 in the second period and scored three times in a span of just over six minutes, turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 advantage.
Norris did the finishing. He scored late in the first period to restore Buffalo's lead after Kent Johnson had tied the game, then added his second in the middle frame after Zach Benson found him open in front. Dahlin had already stretched the lead with a point shot, and Doan's goal followed shortly afterward. Columbus challenged the latter for goaltender interference, but the goal stood.
Buffalo's response after losing 2-1 to Ottawa on Wednesday was also notable. That defeat had come after the Sabres surrendered a third-period lead, and coach Lindy Ruff had criticized his team's work and risk management afterward. Against Columbus, Buffalo didn't need to protect a one-goal advantage deep into the third. It built enough separation to make Zach Werenski's late power-play goal little more than a consolation.
The Sabres have now won four of five, improving to 8-5-3. Columbus was also playing on consecutive nights and lost Sean Monahan to a lower-body injury during Friday's game.
Still, Power producing three assists while Norris, Quinn, Dahlin and Doan all contributed goals is the sort of shared offensive output Buffalo needs to sustain. Thompson remains a central part of the attack, but the Sabres will be considerably harder to defend if opposing teams have to worry about several other ways they can get beaten.