Ducks end skid with win over Buffalo

Jakob Silfverberg scored two goals, defenseman Olen Zellweger had an assist in his NHL debut, and the Ducks ended their three-game skid with a 4-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Sam Carrick scored a power-play goal and John Gibson made 28 saves for the Ducks, who took a 3-0 lead deep into the third period before holding on to win for only the fourth time in 16 games.

Jordan Greenway scored a power-play goal with 5:19 to play and Kyle Okposo added another score with 2:56 left for the Sabres, who struggled in the opener of their three-game California trip.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 32 shots for Buffalo, but his teammates couldn’t beat Gibson before they scored twice with Luukkonen pulled for an extra attacker.

Adam Henrique finally iced the victory with an empty-net goal with 1:09 left.

While the Sabres looked sluggish and shaky in their first game after traveling to the West Coast, the Ducks looked energized despite playing their third game in four days.

Silfverberg put the Ducks ahead less than six minutes in when he redirected Radko Gudas’ slap shot for only the third goal of his 11th season with Anaheim. Silfverberg, who has four career 20-goal seasons, has two goals in his last five games after scoring once in his first 41 this season.

After Leo Carlsson drew a penalty, Carrick scored on a mid-air swat of a rebound from a shot by Zellweger in the second period. Silfverberg scored another goal 53 seconds later on a setup from Mason McTavish, matching his goal total from his previous 64 games with his first two-goal performance since October 2022.

The 20-year-old Zellweger had a promising debut for the Ducks, who are counting on the second-round draft pick to fill a key role on their blue line in future seasons. Zellweger was the CHL’s defenseman of the year last season in his final junior campaign, and the Calgary native has eight goals and 17 assists this year in his pro debut with Anaheim’s top affiliate in San Diego, earning an AHL All-Star selection.

Greenway broke up Gibson’s bid for his 25th career shutout while Buffalo played with a six-on-four advantage. Okposo added his first goal since Dec. 21, again with Luukkonen pulled.

Ducks assistant coaches Craig Johnson and Brent Thompson both game-planned for the first time against their sons, Sabres rookie defenseman Ryan Johnson and center Tage Thompson. Ryan Johnson was born and raised in Orange County while his father played for the Kings, and he played for the Junior Ducks as a teenager.

Up next

Ducks: at Dallas on Thursday.