Matthew Knies marked his Columbus debut with two goals and an assist as the Blue Jackets recovered from an early deficit to claim victory at Nationwide Arena.
Knies stars on Columbus debut
Buffalo took the lead through Mattias Samuelsson, who struck just over seven minutes into the game.
Columbus responded strongly, however, with Cole Sillinger levelling the contest before Knies put the Blue Jackets ahead with a power-play goal.
Adam Fantilli then added another before the end of the opening period to give Columbus a 3-1 advantage.
Jack Quinn reduced the deficit early in the second period, but Knies restored the two-goal cushion with his second goal of the night.
Konsta Helenius pulled Buffalo back to within one, but the Sabres could not complete their comeback.
Sean Monahan scored on the power play in the third period before Mathieu Olivier added an empty-net goal to complete the 6-3 victory.
Knies became the first player to score multiple goals in his Blue Jackets debut and finished with three points. Charlie Coyle also provided three assists, while goaltender Jet Greaves made 23 saves.
Devils edge Flyers in overtime
Philadelphia endured another difficult night after suffering a heavy 7-0 defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener.
The Flyers twice took the lead against New Jersey, but the Devils fought back on both occasions before Luke Hughes completed the comeback.
Hughes scored twice, including the decisive overtime goal with 1:37 remaining in the extra period, as New Jersey secured a 3-2 victory.
Travis Sanheim had restored Philadelphia's lead early in the third period, but Hughes levelled the contest before producing the winning moment in overtime.
Other NHL results
• Seattle Kraken: 6-1 Calgary Flames
• New York Rangers: 5-1 Tampa Bay Lightning
• Minnesota Wild: 3-1 Nashville Predators
The Rangers also recorded their first win of the new season, while Seattle opened their campaign with a convincing away victory in Calgary.
The NHL season is now underway, with teams beginning their campaigns as the race towards the Stanley Cup gets started.