Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Anton Volchenkov scored the game-winner with 1:56 to play to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the front end of a home-and-home series at HSBC Arena.

Daniel Alfredsson had two goals and an assist while Antoine Vermette added a goal and an assist for the Senators, who had lost three of four coming into the game. Martin Gerber made 29 saves in the win.

The win gives Ottawa 91 points on the season, which puts the team in a tie with New Jersey for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. New Jersey, though, has a game in hand.

Derek Roy scored twice while Jason Pominville also lit the lamp for the Sabres, who have dropped their last two games. Ryan Miller was touched for five goals on 30 shots.

Buffalo has 81 points and trails Boston by five points for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with six games to play.

These teams will meet again in Ottawa on Thursday.

With the score tied at 1-1 to start the third period, Buffalo scored a pair of goals separated by just 25 seconds to take a 3-1 lead.

Less than three minutes in, Mike Weber fired a quick backhand shot from the high slot that was stopped, but Roy was on the doorstep to clean up the garbage.

Moments later, Jochen Hecht's hard work along the boards paid off as he sent a pass from the right boards to the left side of the net where Pominville one- timed the puck past Gerber.

Ottawa, though, came roaring back later in the period to take the lead.

Skating shorthanded, Ottawa converted a 2-on-1 break as Vermette flicked a backhand pass from the left side to the front of the net where Dean McAmmond tapped it past Miller with 7:40 to play.

Just 1:42 later, the Senators tied the game as Jason Spezza sent a pass from behind the net to the slot where Alfredsson wristed the puck over the glove of Miller.

The Senators then took the lead with 1:56 to play as Volchenkov's big slap shot from the high slot found its way into the left corner of the net for a 4-3 lead.

Alfredsson sealed the win just 16 seconds later as his slap per from the slot slid under the right pad of Miller for his 40th goal of the season.

Vermette's empty-net goal accounted for the final score.

"It obviously feels really good that we showed the character," Alfredsson said. "We did start to build on something in the third period against Montreal. We played really well in the first period today. They played really well in the second. When McAmmond scores a shorthanded goal, that gives a lot of momentum. They have the power play and we get the goal."

Ottawa got the only goal of the first period. Chris Neil picked up a turnover near his right blueline and got the puck over to Christoph Schubert, who skated into the Buffalo end and snapped a wrister off the right post and into the net at the 11:54 mark of the frame.

Gerber stopped all 10 shots he faced in the first period to keep Buffalo off the board.

Buffalo tied the game with 6:50 to play in the second period. Thomas Vanek held the puck at the right circle and dished it to the slot from Roy, who skated in on net and lifted a backhander past Gerber for his 30th goal of the year.

Miller stopped all nine shots he faced in the second period.

"With 10 minutes left in the third, you're up 3-1, you're on a power play, you have a lot of opportunities to put them out," Pominville said. "We didn't do it and we got caught on our power play. It kind of kick-started them. After that we were just watching them scoring goals."