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 On Wednesday, the Ducks earned a 4-1 win over the Sabres with
16,067 on hand at Honda Center.
Anaheim won its sixth consecutive game since dropping its season
opener while Buffalo lost its third straight since its first victory
of the season, a 4-3 overtime win against Carolina on Oct. 14.
"It's all a feeling-out process at the start of the season," right
winger Corey Perry said. "The team that can come together the
quickest is going to get off to the best start and that's what we're
trying to do."
The Ducks' top players dominated the game as center Ryan Getzlaf
assisted on two of Perry's three goals. Perry added a third goal
into the empty net for his eighth tally of the season. The duo leads
the Ducks in points with 10 apiece and Perry's second hat trick of
the season moved him into a tie with the Rangers' Rick Nash for the
league lead in goals.
"When you're a natural goal-scorer like he is, the puck follows you
and good things happen," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said.
Goalie Frederik Andersen nearly recorded his second straight
shutout. He had not allowed a goal in nearly 153 minutes on ice
dating back to Friday's victory over Minnesota before he gave up a
goal to Buffalo forward Tyler Ennis with 5:06 to play Wednesday.
"It's huge when you put a guy back there and he's making saves like
he's making," Perry said. "On 2-on-0s and some of the stuff that
we're giving up, it relieves a lot of pressure."
Perry opened the scoring 8:50 into the game. A touch pass from
center Getzlaf sprung him for a partial breakaway that he finished
to the far side past Sabres goaltender Michal Neuvirth's stick.
Later in the period, Anaheim would pin the Sabres down in their zone
for three full shifts, although they were unable to add another
goal.
In the second period, following another stretch of sustained
pressure, the Ducks regrouped to score off the rush on their next
possession. Right winger Andrew Cogliano's drop pass set up center
Ryan Kesler, who trailed the play and finished it with a rising
wrist shot 9:20 into the middle frame. Kesler now has three goals
and six points in his first campaign with Anaheim.
"It's a great addition to our team. When you have depth and scoring
on all four lines, you're going to pin some teams in and really go
after them," Perry said.
Seconds later, Sabres defenseman Andrej Meszaros dinged the post to
the left of Andersen, one of a handful of near misses for Buffalo.
Center Zemgus Girgensons had a sterling chance nullified by the
lunging left pad of Andersen early in the second period. Andersen's
right pad denied a pivoting backhand bid from Ennis in the first
stanza. The Danish netminder also reached behind him to snag a puck
on the goal line earlier in the first period when right winger Drew
Stafford nearly scored on a breakaway which came off defenseman Mark
Fistric's turnover.
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"You have to give Andersen credit, that's why he's one of the
stars of the game here tonight," said Buffalo coach Ted Nolan, who
was more satisfied with his team's effort than in their 5-1 loss to
Anaheim in Buffalo on Oct. 13. "We had our chances, we just didn't
bury them," Nolan said.
Buffalo got on the scoreboard with just over five minutes to play.
Anaheim center Nate Thompson turned the puck over in the corner of
the Ducks zone to left winger Matt Moulson. Moulson put the puck on
net and Ennis swooped in to score on the rebound.
"The goal got us right back in the game," Ennis said. "It felt good
but then we got back down 3-1. It's tough, but there are positives
to take away from tonight."
Boudreau was critical of the Ducks' carelessness in their own zone
as they coughed up the puck repeatedly in dangerous situations.
"With the giveaways we had tonight, if this were the Chicago
Blackhawks, the score wouldn't have been 4-1 for us," Boudreau said.
Anaheim quelled any aspirations of a Buffalo comeback with 2:43 to
play when Getzlaf dished the puck to Perry for a one-timer from just
inside the blue line.
With 1:25 to play, Perry completed his hat trick with an empty-net
goal.
NOTES: G Frederik Andersen became the first goalie in NHL history to
win 26 of his first 31 career decisions. ... D Bryan Allen (lower
body), LW Dany Heatley (groin) and RW Kyle Palmieri (ankle) each
missed their seventh straight game for Anaheim, while LW Patrick
Maroon (knee) missed his fourth consecutive contest. ... D Mark
Fistric dressed in place of D Clayton Stoner for the Ducks. ... No.
2 overall draft selection C Sam Reinhart was inserted into the
Buffalo lineup in place of C Brian Flynn. ... Sabres RW Patrick
Kaleta has yet to make his season debut because of a facial injury.
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