Sabres vs Ducks RECAP: Ducks continue to improve, but lose to Sabres in OT
The Anaheim Ducks (2-4-1) closed out their quick two game homestand hosting the Buffalo Sabres (4-1-1), a team that many hockey writers expected to be in the mix for a 32nd place finish, yet have had a great start to the year. They walked into Honda Center as the eighth best team in the NHL right now. I know it’s early, but I don’t think anyone would have predicted that the Sabres would be in this position, while the Vegas Golden Knights simultaneously would be ranked 24th and the Colorado Avalanche ranked 28th in the league during the final week of October, both of whom were projected as Stanley Cup favorites this season.
Not only are the Sabres rolling, but they came to Anaheim having just bested the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1. The Ducks looked to build off what was arguably their best game of the season, which unfortunately ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
1st Period
The game started at a fast pace that was filled with exciting hockey. The first big break went to Anaheim when the Sabres hit the post just under four minutes in after a turnover caused by Max Comtois. Surely this turnover is not going to help his case in the eyes of head coach Dallas Eakins.
The Ducks started to control play after extended zone time lead by none other than Trevor Zegras. He was fast to retrieving pucks and made some masterful passes that lead to lots of high danger chances, but Craig Anderson had other ideas. The first 10 minutes of the game was exciting hockey that has been lacking in Anaheim for a few years.
The game started to settle into a more structured style of play on both sides, but it was the Sabres who would strike first. At 15:03, off a bad rebound on a shot by Kyle Okposo as he entered the zone, Zegmus Girgensons fired it into a yawning net, as Stolarz couldn’t get across quick enough to defend the rebound. The Ducks had a great chance to tie it in the closing moments of the period, but ultimately it ended 1-0 Buffalo. Shots were in favor of Anaheim 17-12, and scoring chances also in favor of Anaheim 9-5.
2nd Period
The second period opened similar to the opening 20 minutes, but it was Nicolas Deslauriers who would be whistled for an interference penalty 190 feet away from his own net at 3:30.
Isac Lundestrom made a gorgeous move while short-handed as he toe-dragged around the defense, but couldn’t put it home. Unfortunately, the Sabres converted on the power play on a one-timer by Rasmus Aspland, as Stolarz was slow to move over again, making it 2-0 Buffalo.
The Sabres would strike again to make it 3-0 on a great play by Anders Bjork, who showed great patience on the play, and then bounced a shot off Arttu Ruotsalainen. Just after the Sabres made it 3-0, Josh Manson took an interference penalty. Luckily for the Ducks, 11 seconds into the penalty kill, the Sabres took an interference penalty of their own.
The penalty proved costly for Buffalo, as the Ducks scored during the four on four, as Troy Terry capitalized on a fabulous feed by Ryan Getzlaf at 7:46. The goal extended Troy Terry’s point streak to six games (3G-5A-8P) and moved future Hall of Famer and current captain, Ryan Getzlaf to one point behind Teemu Selanne (988 points) for the franchise record for points with 987.
Anaheim kept pushing with some back and forth hockey throughout the rest of the period. The Ducks would cut the Sabres’ lead in half when Adam Henrique scored his 200th career goal. The goal came just seconds after he had two chances on the doorstep that were denied. Jakob Silfverberg showed excellent patience on the play, getting the puck to Henrique in front for the eventual goal. The eventful period would end 3-2 in favor of Buffalo after it looked as though Buffalo was about to blow the game wide open. The Sabres, who carried most of the play in the period, outshot Anaheim 14-10, resulting in a game shot total of 27-26 in favor of Anaheim.
3rd Period
The Ducks jumped out of the gate determined to tie the game. Anaheim didn’t allow a shot to the Sabres for over 11 minutes to start the third period. Their push was finally rewarded when Simon Benoit scored his first ever NHL goal at 5:59 into the period. Benoit’s wrister hit a Sabres defenseman in front and found a hole in Craig Anderson to tie the game at 3-3. It was a wonderful moment for the undrafted defeseman, who has played his heart out at every level and earned every opportunity.
The Ducks continued to carry play in the third when Rakell was hurt midway through the period on an awkward fall into the corner boards. He did not return. The Ducks outshot the Sabres 10-1, but couldn’t find one more tally in them which led to overtime.
Overtime
Both teams were able to mount some chances and extended zone time during the session, but ultimately it was the Sabres who capitalized on a play where Trevor Zegras was back defending and at the end of an extended shift, where Rasmus Aspland tapped in the game winner at 4:16.
Final Thoughts
Overall this is the type of game you want to see from the Ducks. The process is trending in the right direction and Ducks hockey is far more exciting than it has been in a few years. There will be growing pains during this transition, but it’s great to see the steps taken by players like Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras, and Sony Milano. Speaking of Zegras and Milano, the chemistry the two are developing is very promising for Anaheim. With the status of Rakell in question, will we see a line of Milano-Zegras-Terry? We won’t have to wait too long as the Ducks are back in action tomorrow night in Vegas. Oh, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to jump on the #TerryIsVeryGood train.
3 Stars
1. Rasmus Aspland
2. Troy Terry
3. Craig Anderson
Up Next
The Anaheim Ducks (2-4-2) jump back into action tomorrow night on the road and visit the Vegas Golden Knights (3-4-0) at 5:00 PM PST.