Gratton stays put, sparks Sabres' rout of Senators

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Chris Gratton got the vote of confidence he wanted when the Buffalo Sabres kept him at NHL trade deadline.

Gratton returned the favor a few hours later, scoring the eventual game-winner and adding two assists in a 5-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

"The rumors and stuff, hopefully, they're forgotten and now we can move on," said Gratton, admitting he was anxious as the 3 p.m. deadline approached. "I don't think many guys slept today. You're waiting for your phone to ring and you're hoping that it doesn't.

"It's a big relief, and now we can settle down, hunker in here and really focus on making these playoffs."

For Gratton it was his first three-point regular-season performance since joining the Sabres in a trade deadline-day deal from Tampa Bay two years ago. And it came at a crucial time with Buffalo playing its first game without captain -- and second-leading scorer -- Stu Barnes, who will miss about two weeks because of a concussion.

Miroslav Satan, Brian Campbell, Ales Kotalik and Curtis Brown, with a shorthanded goal, also scored for the Sabres. Martin Biron stopped 33 shots, ending an 0-2-1 skid.

Buffalo moved into a tie for ninth with the New York Rangers, and inched within two points of eighth-place Montreal in the Eastern Conference.

Daniel Alfredsson foiled Biron's shutout bid, scoring a power-play goal seven minutes into the third period after the Sabres opened a 3-0 lead. Ottawa squandered an opportunity to tie idle Philadelphia for the most points in the East. The Senators extended their winless streak in Buffalo to eight games (0-7-1).

"Obviously, it's an opportunity lost, but we can't get caught too far ahead," Alfredsson said. "We're playing some hungry teams, but we're pretty hungry, too. Today it was a matter of getting the bounces. They got up early, and we had to go for it coming from behind."

After Campbell opened the scoring midway through the first period, the Sabres took control when Gratton and Brown scored seven minutes apart in the second period.

Parked to the right of the net, Gratton one-timed Dmitri Kalinin's centering pass from the corner, beating Ottawa goalie Patrick Lalime on the short side.

Brown scored to cap a 2-on-1 break, shoveling in a loose puck after Lalime failed to smother Vaclav Varada's initial shot.

It was an all-around effort for the Sabres, attempting to avoid missing the playoffs for only the second time in the last 15 years.

Gratton is leading the charge, enjoying a solid turnaround since he was elevated from the Sabres' fourth line shortly after the Olympic break. The goal was his 11th of the season, and sixth in 10 games.

With Barnes out, coach Lindy Ruff said it was very unlikely for the team to trade Gratton.

"I knew it was going to have to be one heck of a deal for us to trade him because of the way he's playing," Ruff said. "With the way he's playing, he can be a factor for us, and I thought he was a factor tonight."

Notes: The Sabres made one deal, acquiring Atlanta center Bob Corkum for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft. Corkum is expected to join the team on Wednesday. . . . Senators right winger Martin Havlat did not dress after hurting his groin in Sunday's win over Florida. . . . Kotalik, called up from the minors on Monday, also assisted on Campbell's goal, giving him a goal and two assists in four career NHL games. . . . The Senators' last win in Buffalo came Dec. 30, 1998.