Ottawa regained the lead, 2-1, with 5:52 left in the first and maintained that lead after Batherson swatted a rebound of Dylan Cozens’ shot past Tarasov from the slot for his 21 st goal.

Younger players Zach Benson and Jack Quinn didn't take a step forward ... Alex Tuch had 36, Skinner 35, Dylan Cozens 31 and Victor Olofsson 28. All those numbers dropped last season.

This story describes in what direction the Buffalo Sabres' GM should head in during Free agency and what players he should invest in.