Senators 3, Sabres 2: Mark Stone scored the game-winning goal early in the third period as host Ottawa stormed back to beat lowly Buffalo.

Stone added an assist while captain Erik Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad also tallied for the Senators, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to move within three points of Boston for the second Eastern Conference wild-card berth. Milan Michalek added two assists and Andrew Hammond stopped 24 shots.

Philip Varone recorded a goal and an assist while Tyler Ennis also scored for his 200th career point for the Sabres, who have dropped three in a row. Anders Lindback made 34 saves in a losing effort.

Varone opened the scoring 7:22 into the game, blazing into the offensive zone and chipping a backhand shot over a prone Hammond. Ennis doubled the advantage just over nine minutes later, floating a snap shot from below the right faceoff dot that fooled the first-year netminder.

Karlsson got Ottawa on the board just 26 seconds into the middle session, blasting a shot from the point that glanced off Buffalo defenseman Zach Bogosian and past Lindback. Zibanejad evened things at 1:34 of the third by completing a give-and-go with Bobby Ryan, and Stone vaulted the Senators in front 94 seconds later by jamming in the rebound of defenseman Marc Methot's shot.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Buffalo LW Nicolas Deslauriers provided the most bizarre highlight of the night, leaping to head-butt a puck out of mid-air early in the first period. ... Zibanejad has collected three goals and three assists during his career-best six-game point streak. ... The Sabres have been outscored 122-57 on the road this season.