The Sharks' four-game homestand opened with a blank. On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Buffalo goalie Colten Ellis made 23 saves in a 2-0 Sabres win at SAP Center. Here's our preview of the game.
How it happened
NHL.com reports that defenseman Olen Zellweger scored 50 seconds into the second period, beating Yaroslav Askarov on the blocker side with a wrist shot from the top of the left circle. Zach Benson sealed it with an empty-net goal at 19:05 of the third. Ellis stopped Kiefer Sherwood from point-blank range with 4:01 left, according to the AP. Earlier, Ellis robbed Collin Graf after a setup from Macklin Celebrini.
Askarov kept it close
Askarov made 38 saves. "We're not generating, but we also just give up 40 shots and a lot of chances again, so that's the bigger issue," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky told NHL.com. The AP says the Sharks have just one regulation win in 13 games. NHL.com has their record at 6-6-1.
Lineup notes
The Sharks were without forwards Alexander Wennberg and Igor Chernyshov, who have upper-body injuries and are considered week to week. Rookie Ivar Stenberg started on the top line with Celebrini and Graf. Defenseman Michael Kesselring, whom San Jose acquired from Buffalo in June, faced his former team for the first time. "It was pretty emotional, honestly, for me tonight," he told NHL.com.
A pattern
The AP notes that Buffalo has beaten San Jose in eight of the teams' last nine meetings. Ellis got his second career shutout. The Sharks host Vancouver on Thursday, Oct. 29 (preview).