Ray Emery and the Ottawa Senators rebounded from a disastrous outing to once again frustrate the Buffalo Sabres.

Emery made 34 saves and ensured the Senators never relinquished the lead in a 3-1 win in Buffalo.

Ottawa's Dany Heatley makes sure the puck goes past the goal line after Buffalo's Ryan Miller misplayed a shot by Andrej Meszaros on Saturday.
(Don Heupel/Associated Press)

Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley each registered points on all of the team's goals, and both now stand just one shy of the 20-goal mark.

Spezza had two goals, with Heatley opening the scoring for Ottawa (17-16-1).

Ottawa came into the game having dropped four of the last five, including a 6-0 shellacking in Nashville on Thursday.

But the inconsistent Senators now account for half of Buffalo's losses this season, with Ottawa winning three of four in their intradivision meetings.

"I wouldn't say we've solved them," Spezza said. "We definitely get up for these guys. They beat us last year in the playoffs, and we're developing a bit of a rivalry."

The teams are still separated by a sizeable margin in the standings — 15 points — but that fact didn't placate Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff.

"I don't like to lose to them," Ruff said. "It gives them confidence. It's something we have to rectify as a team."

Jochen Hecht scored the only goal for the Sabres (24-6-2).

"They were ready and took advantage of the chances we handed them," Hecht said. "We couldn't bear down on ours."

Ryan Miller set aside 26 shots, but struggled in doing so on several occasions.

Ottawa opened the scoring just under six minutes in when a mild slapshot from sophomore defenceman Andrej Meszaros skidded through Miller's legs and through the crease. Heatley ensured its passage over the goal line, tapping it across.

Heatley helped set up the team's second goal late in the period. A carom off the dasher board left Miller scrambling, and Spezza easily put it in from the slot.

Emery stands tall

Emery, who gave up six goals on 14 shots in Nashville before getting pulled, stood tall against the Sabres in the second, foiling young offensive threats Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy.

He then single-handedly kept the Senators ahead after the team drew three hooking infractions in less than two minutes.

While Hecht deflected Brian Campbell's point shot for a Sabre goal on the first of those power plays, Emery robbed Chris Drury with a blocker save on a subsequent opportunity.

"I think I owe them a bit for last year," Emery said, alluding to the playoff loss in May. "If you're not up to play these guys, they'll come back to bite you."

Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson returned after missing five games with an injured hip. Seconds after Alfredsson rang a shot off the post on the power play early in the third, Spezza took a deft feed from Antoine Vermette for his second of the game.

Impeded on a breakaway chance soon after, Spezza was unable to convert the penalty shot for a hat trick. The forward tried to find a seam between the pads, but Miller squeezed tight to keep the game close.

Buffalo had sustained pressure in the final minute after pulling Miller, but could not get closer.

Both teams return to action on Tuesday. Ottawa hosts Boston, while Buffalo is at home against Montreal.

with files from the Associated Press