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NEW YORK -- The Anaheim Ducks traveled to Buffalo looking snap an eight-game losing streak and end the road trip on a high note. The Sabres had other plans.
Buffalo handed Anaheim their ninth consecutive loss with a 5-3 victory, marking their 13th win in the last 14 games.
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Buffalo opened the contest red hot, looking every bit like the team that has won 12 of its last 13 games. Just over two minutes into the opening period, the Sabres struck first when Zach Benson backhanded the puck to Ryan McLeod to spark a 2-on-1 rush. McLeod raced down the ice and slid a perfect pass across to Jack Quinn, who buried his eighth goal of the season to give Buffalo an early 1-0 lead.
Buffalo entered tonight's matchup as one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams when striking first, owning a 16-2-1 record when opening the scoring.
The Sabres generated several high-quality chances as the period wound down, but Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal stood tall, turning away Buffalo's final 11 shots of the frame to keep the deficit at 1-0 heading into the first intermission.
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The second period began with back-to-back penalties against Anaheim, both drawn by Tage Thompson, giving Buffalo a 5-on-3 advantage. Dostal and the Ducks’ penalty kill weathered the two-man disadvantage, successfully clearing the zone and getting back to full strength. A turnover by Anaheim led to a breakaway for McLeod, who guided a pass across to Alex Tuch for a prime chance to extend the lead, but Lukas Dostal came up with a sprawling save to keep the Ducks within one.
After killing off an Anaheim power play, Buffalo capitalized on a defensive breakdown to double its lead. A steal from Josh Doan allowed Peyton Krebs to thread a pass to Tage Thompson, who slipped behind the Ducks’ defense and tapped in his team-high 22nd goal of the season, giving the Sabres a 2-0 edge.
The middle frame concluded with dominant defense from Buffalo, who suffocated Anaheim's high-powered offense and halted any pressure near the net.
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The third and final period opened with two quality scoring chances for Anaheim, both shots clanging off the post in the first minute. The Ducks have been no strangers to unlucky bounces this season, ranking second in the NHL with 60 shots off the crossbar or posts through 45 games. Buffalo kept the momentum rolling in the final frame when Tage Thompson sent a pass from behind the net to Bowen Byram, who slammed home his 10th goal of the season to extend the lead to three.
Olen Zellweger got Anaheim on the board with less than five minutes to play with a backhanded shot that got past Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make the score 3-1. Jackson LaCombe notched his 22nd assist of the season on the play.
The momentum evaporated just 44 seconds later, as Buffalo answered with Jack Quinn’s second goal of the night and ninth of the season — restoring a three-goal lead. Anaheim’s offense, which entered the game ranked 10th in goals per contest, fought back with consecutive strikes from Leo Carlson and Mason McTavish, keeping the contest within reach.
Anaheim’s late push brought them within one with 48 seconds remaining, giving the Ducks a chance to force overtime. But the magic never materialized. With the net empty, Josh Norris buried the puck into the open cage, ending Anaheim’s comeback bid and slamming the door on a Buffalo home victory.
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NOTES
Anaheim's Troy Terry missed his second consecutive game with an upper body injury. Jacob Trouba missed the game due to personal reasons. Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal saved 27 of 31 shots. Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen saved 31 of 34 shots while Buffalo's defense blocked 22 shots.
The Ducks loses all four games on this road swing and falls to 21-21-3 on the season.
Anaheim wraps up the season series with Buffalo at the Honda Center on March 22.
The Ducks continue to search for answers as they return home for a matchup with the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening. Puck drop set for 7:00 p.m. PST.
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