The Sabres Looked Off and Tired Despite the Comeback

Score: Buffalo Sabres 5-6 Anaheim Ducks OT
Shots: BUF 29-33 ANA

Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tuch 29th (Power, Krebs) Doan 23rd (Ostlund, Byram) Quinn 17th  (Dahlin, Benson) Power 8th (McLeod) Benson 9th (Dahlin, Malenstyn)
Anaheim Ducks: Kreider 22d PPG (Carlsson) LaCombe 9th PPG (McTavish, Sennecke) Sennecke 21st (LaCombe) Terry 15th (Washe, Zellweger) Granlund 14th PPG (Kreider, Carlsson) Terry 16th (unassisted)

Even 1: River and Pond Hockey

Anaheim came out firing, getting 4 of the first 5 shots. But it was Buffalo cashing in first as Alex Tuch found a cozy spot in front of the net to beat the Ducks’ starter Lukas Dostal. Peyton Krebs was battling along the boards and the puck was worked behind the net to Owen Power. He found Tuch out front with a slick backhand pass and Alex fired it home for his 29th of the year.

The Sabres took a too many men on the ice penalty 9 minutes in and it cost them. Chris Kreider scored early on as Anaheim made some quick passes entering the zone. His shot elluded Alex Lyon as he tried to get over. The Ducks are a speedy, talented young team and they were flying around all period. Buffalo had to go right back on the penalty kill when Lyon was called for holding the stick of a Ducks’ player in the crease and it would cost them again. Jackson LaCombe got his 9th of the season with assists going to two of their young guns. (Mason McTavish and Beckett Sennecke)

Buffalo then got a power play themselves but only hit the crossbar for their efforts. But not long after, Noah Ostlund broke in with Josh Doan on a 2 on 1. Ostlund’s first pass was blocked but he was still able to chip it over on his second attempt. Doan roofed it with authority over Dostal for his 23rd of the season. It was a HUGE goal after the Ducks’ power play took over the game. The Sabres were able to salvage a 2-2 tie after one period of play. It was a entertaining period of hockey for sure but not one Buffalo should have felt good about. The special teams failed them and Anaheim’s speed and skill overwelmed them at times. The Ducks outshot Buffalo in the opening frame 14-11.

Mar 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Buffalo Sabres center Noah Ostlund (86) moves the puck against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Pavel Mintyukov (98) during the first period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Minus 1: And I Thought Ducks Lay Eggs?

The Sabres came out better to start the second with a few good chances but that made no difference to Beckett Sennecke. He took a pass and just powered his way to the net past Rasmus Dahlin. Sennecke made a nice deek and then powered the puck past Lyon as well. It was the young stars’ 21st goal of the year and quickly put the Sabres down a goal again. That one stung and Buffalo was not able to get much offense after that for a good 7 minutes. The Ducks then took a roughing penalty on Zach Metsa and the Sabres were finally able to get a few shots. They also hit iron again as the penalty expired. 14 minutes into the period, Anaheim had only one shot with the only goal.

Buffalo got another power play and it was ineffective yet again. The special teams were a disaster at this point. Things really went south when the Ducks went 2 for 2 on shots, scoring again as the Sabres broke down in their own zone. Troy Terry got his 15th and suddenly the team was down 4-2. This was easily the biggest challenge the Blue and Gold have faced in some time. On the second night of a back to back and 3 games in 4 nights, down by two after two was a tough assignment.

Minus 2: Heroics Earn a Point Only

Buffalo made it interesting when Jack Quinn scored at the 4:40 mark after taking a nice drop pass from Dahlin. It was Quinn’s 17th of the year with Zach Benson picking up the secondary assist. Things really opened up with the Sabres pressing for the equalizer. Anaheim had two breakaways but Alex Lyon stood tall. Those big stops proved vital. Midway though the period, Ryan McLeod won a draw cleanly and Owen Powers’ shot found the back of the net to shockingly tie the game. Just when you thought the Sabres’ road run was over, they pull this craziness out of their backsides. Now even at four goals each, Buffalo pressed on.

The craziness turned to hysteria when the Sabres came all the way back to take the lead. After a shot and a scramble at the side of the goal, Dahlin passed the puck through a sea of skates to find Benson all alone. Taz scored to miraculously give Buffalo the go ahead goal. But nothing came easy in this game. Alex Tuch took a late tripping call, the Ducks pulled the goalie and they tied it up with under two minutes to go. Yes, it was a two man advantage for Anaheim but the Sabres penalty kill just didn’t have it tonight. To overtime we go and it did not last long. Troy Terry scored his second of the game on what could have been a 2 on 0, but he just took it to the net and beat Lyon with a nice move. Game over man, game over. The Ducks fly off with the win but at least the late heroics by Buffalo earned them a point.

The special teams were a killer tonight for the Sabres. They went 0 fo 3 with the man advantage and a dreadful 1 for 4 killing penalties. Anaheim’s three power play goals won them the game.

Final Thoughts:

To earn 7 of 8 points on a four game road trip is outstanding. But every point is everything right now. Thankfully Tampa dropped a game in OT too, so they only kept pace. Still, it hurts to not come away with the win after the late lead.

Alex Lyon fell short of tying the consecutive road wins record for a goalie and will remain tied at 10 in a row with several other netminders. The 11-game record is held by Evgeni Nabokov and Devan Dubnyk.

Need a pick-me-up after this game? How about a joke? What did the duck say when buying lipstick? Put it on my bill.

After a mostly successful four game west coast trip, the Sabres return to Buffalo to start a four game homestand. Thankfully, they will have a few well earned days off first. Next up for our boys is the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, March 25th at 7pm.

Related