Buffalo Sabres’ Goalie Decision Pays Off As Colten Ellis Helps Secure Wild Win Over Anaheim Ducks

Buffalo survives chaos to win big on the road in Anaheim© Getty via AFP

Buffalo went into Honda Centre carrying a two-game road point streak and a goalie question that needed answering. Head coach Lindy Ruff settled it before puck drop Thursday night, confirming Colten Ellis between the pipes. What followed was exactly why that choice made sense. The Sabres survived a chaotic 13-goal night, edging the Anaheim Ducks 7-6 to extend their strong early stretch on the road. It wasn't pretty, and nobody said it would be, but Buffalo escaped Anaheim with two points that matter.

Ellis Holds His Ground in a High-Scoring Affair

Buffalo came in off a 2-0 shutout win over San Jose, where Colten Ellis had earned the victory. Ellis had been the sharper of the two netminders statistically, and Ruff stayed with the momentum. Against Anaheim, Ellis was tested constantly. The Ducks put 35 shots on net and converted six times, with three coming on the power play. That alone could have buried the Sabres.

But the bigger story is what Ellis did in the stretches that mattered most. The Sabres' shooting was electric on the night, a 22.6 per cent clip on 31 shots. Playing the third game of their four-game West Coast swing, you need your goalie to give the team a chance and absorb the chaos without cracking. Ellis did that. He conceded six, but this was a game that simply had no defensive rhythm on either side. The Ducks won 59.7 per cent of faceoffs and generated 35 shots. Anaheim had every opportunity to pull away. They couldn't.

The early goalie conversation surrounding Buffalo's crease has felt unresolved all season. Luukkonen started 2026-27 as the presumed number one, but his .866 save percentage and 3.56 goals-against average told a different story. Ellis, who the Sabres claimed off waivers from St. Louis last season, has quietly built a case. His .902 save percentage, 2.28 GAA, and his first career NHL shutout last Tuesday against San Jose all backed the coaching staff's call.

Sabres Forwards Deliver When It Counts

The offence carried its share of the load. Jack Quinn scored the eventual winning goal on the power play, and Peyton Krebs finished with three assists, pushing the pace of play whenever Buffalo needed it. Noah Ostlund also found the net on the power play, while Zach Benson added a goal and two assists of his own. Rasmus Dahlin contributed two assists from the blue line, and Olen Zellweger chipped in with an assist as well, returning to Anaheim for the first time since his trade to Buffalo.

The first period was a mess of back-and-forth hockey with six goals split evenly between the two teams. Buffalo outscored Anaheim 2-0 in the second before the Ducks pushed back with three in the third. Quinn's winner settled it. The Sabres took just 3 penalties, gave away the puck 13 times, and still came out on top against a Ducks team that sits 5th in the Pacific.

Buffalo remains in a difficult stretch of the Atlantic. They're fighting for third in the division and need wins like this one to keep pace. A goalie decision that looked like a gamble before puck drop ended up being one of the night's defining calls.