Two games in to the Claude Noel era and the Columbus Blue Jackets are slowly resembling the team that made the Stanley Cup Playoffs a season ago. The Jackets defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 in front of 18,567 inside Nationwide Arena Saturday night to improve to 2-0 under Noel.

“We’re having some fun out there,” R.J. Umberger, who had an assist, said. “Guys are playing with a lot of jump and confidence. Two games in a row, (Steve) Mason has been unbelievable in net.”

The win is the biggest margin of victory for the Jackets this season. It’s also the first time since Jan. 7-10 that the team has won consecutive games, when they won three straight. It also breaks a streak of 10 games where Columbus has alternated wins and losses.

Mason, who had 28 saves, picked up his third shutout of the season and 13th career, which is a new franchise record.

Mason has also won back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 13-17.

“Mason was really good,” Noel said. “He’s had back-to-back good games, which is encouraging for us. His focus was really good yesterday and today and it reflected in his game tonight.”

Anton Stralman had a goal and an assist to lead Columbus offensively. Milan Jurcina, Rick Nash and Raffi Torres also scored, while Jakub Voracek had a career-high three assists.

Columbus outshot Buffalo 28-25 and scored twice on the power play and once four-on-four against one of the top penalty kill squads in the NHL.

The Jackets scored a fluke goal on the power play two minutes into the second period. Jurcina hit the puck off the boards and it rolled all way to behind the net. The puck ricocheted off the backboard and off Buffalo goaltender Patrick Lalime’s skate and into the net.

“It’s the strangest goal I’ve ever scored,” Jurcina said.

Nash scored his 25th off a pass from R.J. Umberger on the power play to put Columbus up 2-0. This came on the heels of a four-minute double minor, followed by a two-minute penalty that caused 21 seconds of a two-man advantage.

“It was a big goal,” Noel said. “The first three minutes (of the power play), we looked like a pee-wee team out there, so I called a time out to settle them down. It was a pivotal minute in the game. That was the game.”

Nash has scored 25 or more goals for six straight seasons and has a four-game point streak (one goal, three assists).

 The Jackets opened the third with two goals in a 90 second span. Stralman scored on a short slap shot and Torres scored off a centering pass from Voracek on the power play.

The Sabres have lost four straight and have only two wins since Jan. 19.

“The message is we have to put it behind us,” coach Buffalo Lindy Ruff said. “There have been games where we have played well and lost and games where there have been a lot of breakdowns and a lot of frustration. The message is we are a better team than we are playing right now.”

The Jackets continue the current six-game home stand with San Jose visiting on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

 dave.seaman@columbuswired.tv

Twitter: @DaveSeaman94