Buffalo Sabres left wing Matt Moulson, left, battles for the puck as Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (5) and goaltender Karri Ramo (31), of Finland, defend during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Saturday Dec. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)
December 14, 2013 - 1:58 PM
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.
Karri Ramo made 26 saves for the Flames, who have won their last three road games.
Matt Moulson scored for the Sabres, while Jhonas Enroth made 24 saves in the loss.
Stajan's overtime winner came just 42 seconds into the period, as his wrist shot beat Enroth to the goalie's left. Byron had two points against the team that drafted him in 2007.
The teams were scoreless in the third period when Zemgus Girgensons made a strong rush down the right side of the Flames zone before sliding a backhand pass into the slot. Moulson shot it by Ramo at the 5:40 mark for his 11th goal of the season and his first in six games.
The Flames tied the game less than 3 minutes later when defenceman Chris Butler picked up the puck behind the Buffalo net and passed to Byron in front, who scored his first goal of the season.
Butler and Byron were traded from the Buffalo to Calgary at the 2011 NHL Draft for Robyn Regehr, Ales Kotalik and a draft pick.
The Sabres came close to opening the scoring nearly 11 minutes into the game, when Ramo lost sight of the puck in his crease. Matt Stajan knocked the net off its moorings before Ville Leino could score.
Calgary scored in the final minute of the first period, but the goal was disallowed and the Flames were assessed a penalty for too many men.
Girgensons and Tyler Myers both put shots off the goal post in the second period as both teams struggled to find quality scoring chances.
Enroth was at his best during the second period, stopping 13 Flames shots, but his finest moment came with a glove stop of Joe Colborne shortly after Buffalo took the lead.
Matt D'Agostini had a chance to put the Sabres up with under four minutes to play before shooting the puck into the glove of a prone Ramo.
The Sabres earned five power plays, but their 26th-ranked power play could not produce a goal.
Calgary also struggled with the man advantage, as Buffalo killed off all four of its penalties.
Marcus Foligno took three minor penalties in the game. A first round pick of the Sabres in 2012, Girgensons now has five points in his last seven games.
NOTES: The Sabres recalled LW Matt Ellis from their American Hockey League affiliate in Rochester before the game as Cody Hodgson missed his second game with a lower body injury ... Flames RW David Jones played his 300th career game ... Buffalo also scratched healthy defenceman Mark Pysyk and centre Luke Adam.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013