The Ottawa Senators showed supreme confidence and composure in outplaying the Buffalo Sabres in the opening game of their NHL Eastern Conference final on Thursday night. 

Oleg Saprykin broke a 2-2 deadlock 7:41 into the third period as the Senators skated to a 5-2 victory over the Sabres in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series before a capacity crowd of 18,690 at HSBC Arena.

Ray Emery readies to glove the puck in Thursday's 5-2 Senators triumph.
(Frank Gunn/Canadian Press)

Jason Spezza scored a power-play goal with 4:12 remaining, and Dean McAmmond flipped in an empty-netter with 13 seconds left.

"Getting the first game here sets a nice tone for us," Senators head coach Bryan Murray said.

Game 2 goes Saturday at Buffalo (CBC, 8 p.m. ET).

Saprykin picked the ideal time to pot his first goal of the playoffs, charging hard to the net and deflecting McAmmond's pass behind Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller to put Ottawa ahead 3-2.

"It hit the right spot on my stick and went in," Saprykin said.

Wearing No. 61, the seldom-used Saprykin evoked memories of Sylvain Turgeon, Ottawa's star sniper during its expansion season in 1992-93. 

"I just had to wait for my chance to get in the lineup and help the team win," Saprykin said.

Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson had the other goals for the fourth-seeded Senators, who trailed only Buffalo in total goals scored (308-288) during the regular season.

Alfredsson, McAmmond and Spezza each had two points as Ottawa tallied twice with the man advantage and outshot Buffalo 33-20.

"We did create a lot of chances," Alfredsson said. "We hit some posts.

"We skated really well. I thought we moved the puck well."

"It is a concern," Sabres forward Jason Pominville said, mindful that Buffalo committed 19 turnovers to Ottawa's eight.

"Especially against them, a team with tons of creative guys who can make you pay. You definitely do not want to turn the puck over."

Maxim Afinogenov and Toni Lydman replied in a losing cause for the top-ranked Sabres.

"It was disappointing," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said. "We weren't very good with the puck.

"Our puck management wasn't very good and, probably, the reason we lost the hockey game. We weren't good with it.

"We gave it away. We had a lot of passes that were telegram passes, kind of casual passes."

Buffalo won the Northeast Division by eight points over Ottawa, but the Senators took five of eight meetings with the Sabres.

The rivalry turned bitter on Feb. 24, when the teams engaged in brawl highlighted by two fights involving Senators goaltender Ray Emery.

Moreover, the Senators seek to avenge three playoff losses to the Sabres, including 4-1 in last year's conference semifinals.

"We're a different group in here, there's a different feeling in here, a different vibe," Senators forward Dany Heatley said.

"What you saw out there tonight was guys not getting rattled, not being nervous."

McAmmond tests Miller
 
McAmmond was killing off a penalty early in the first period when he tested Miller on a partial breakaway, but Miller chested the shot and smothered the rebound.

Moments later, Fisher stripped Sabres defenceman Dmitri Kalinin of the puck, skated in alone and beat Miller between the pads for a short-handed goal 4:32 into the contest.

It was Fisher's second goal of the playoffs.

"We knew exactly what we were getting into," Miller said. "But still.

"They skate really well and play good defence. We're going to have to use our speed."

Alfredsson made it 2-0 with a power-play goal as he retrieved the puck off a faceoff and passed it to the point to Joe Corvo, who returned a soft pass that the Senators captain blasted by Miller for his team-high seventh at 7:54.

But Afinogenov cut the deficit three minutes later, burying a Thomas Vanek rebound for his third.

It remained 2-1 until Lydman tied it 8:45 into the second period, collecting the puck from Pominville off a faceoff and skating along the boards to Emery's left before slicing into the slot and scoring his second.

"He had to make some good saves, but I know we need to challenge him more," Ruff said of Emery. 

Both goaltenders looked sharp early in the third period, as Miller kicked out a quick shot from the slot by Heatley and Emery ranged far from the crease to cut down the angle on Jochen Hecht's rising slapshot.

"It didn't seem like we had much going in the third period against their trap," Miller said. "All we ask is for players to get to the net."

"We've been a very good team in the third period," Murray said. "Especially in the latter part of the season.

"Our level of play in the third has been outstanding. Our guys believe they can keep it up night after night."

Ottawa is competing in its 10th straight post-season, but has advanced to the conference final just once before, when it fell in seven games to the New Jersey Devils in 2003.

Buffalo reached the conference final last spring, but was beaten in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.

With files from Sports Network