Takeaways from the Ducks 6-5 OT Win over the Sabres
Ducks snatch victory in a wild overtime thriller against the Sabres, overcoming defensive lapses and a potent offense with timely goals and clutch saves.
Before setting out on a three-game Western Canada road trip, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the NHL’s hottest team, the Buffalo Sabres , on Sunday evening at Honda Center. The Ducks were coming off a playoff-style and potentially fortunate 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Friday. They entered the game with a three-point lead in the Pacific Division and had registered points in their last three games (2-0-1).
Ducks Sign Herman Träff to Entry-Level Contract Ducks Prospect Maxim Masse Wins QMJHL Scoring Title Buffalo was playing their second leg of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Saturday. They entered Sunday having won their previous four games and had won 13 of their last 14. The Ducks coaching staff started this game how they finished the last, from a lineup perspective, with Mason McTavish listed on as the fourth-line left winger.
Frank Vatrano and Drew Helleson served this game as the team’s healthy scratches. This was the final game of Radko Gudas’ five-game suspension, earned when he initiated a knee-on-knee collision with Auston Matthews on March 12. Here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game: Kreider-Carlsson-Terry Killorn-Granlund-Sennecke Viel-Poehling-Gauthier McTavish-Washe-Harkins LaCombe-Trouba Mintyukov-Carlson Zellweger-Moore Ville Husso got the start for the Ducks in this game and stopped 24 of 29 shots.
In the Buffalo crease stood Alex Lyon, who saved 27 of 33. “I don’t know how many times we’ve done that this year, but it’s been an alarming number,” Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville said of his team scoring with the goalie pulled late. “It’s still not a recipe for success.