The Buffalo Sabres played with a level of defensive desperation that's frequently been lacking during the early stages of the 2026-27 season, and they were rewarded with a 2-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night to kick off a three-game West Coast swing.
Buffalo held San Jose to 20 shots on goal, in part because it blocked 20 of the Sharks' attempts. It represented significant improvement in the club's ability to effectively clog up shooting lanes.
"I thought we had a lot bigger commitment to making sure some shots didn't get through," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters. "When you start seeing that desperation to keep the puck out of your net, you start winning games."
Team captain Rasmus Dahlin agreed: "I think this was a step in the right direction defensively. We competed hard today."
Olen Zellweger scored the game-winning goal for the Sabres early in the second period and Zach Benson hit the empty net for his first tally of the campaign. Colten Ellis (23 saves) and the defensive effort handed the rest to end a three-game losing streak.
Buffalo's goaltending has been in the spotlight over the season's first month. Ellis and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had both struggled while Alex Lyon recovers from an injury, and there were endless rumors about a potential blockbuster trade for Connor Hellebuyck, who instead went to the New Jersey Devils.
Yet, the goalies weren't alone in their struggles. The Sabres' defensive execution was often lacking, too. They allowed too many players to roam free around the top of the crease and, even with Tuesday's strong effort factored in, they rank last in the NHL in blocked shots (135).
Playing with that sense of urgency while defending is always important, but it's especially crucial when your netminders might not be in top form early in the season.
Buffalo's victory over San Jose was a major step in the right direction, and Ruff was also effusive in his praise of Ellis following the shutout.
"He's a competitive kid," the longtime NHL coach said. "He's given us some good hockey games, and tonight he gave us an excellent game. He made some timely saves at real big moments that could've generated some energy for them, and he took it away from them."
The Sabres will look to build on that defensive showing as they try to start climbing the Eastern Conference standings, where they currently reside in 11th place out of 16 teams.
Meanwhile, let's check out the newest installment of our Sabres player grades series after a tide-turning triumph over the Sharks.
Buffalo Sabres bounce back for key win over the San Jose Sharks
Sabres Player Grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Colten Ellis | 10 |
Olen Zellweger | 9 |
Zach Benson | 8.5 |
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Owen Power | 8 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 7.5 |
Konsta Helenius | 7.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 7.5 |
Rasmus Dahlin | 7 |
Josh Norris | 7 |
Ryan McLeod | 7 |
Jason Zucker | 6.5 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Zach Metsa | 5.5 |
Tyson Kozak | 5.5 |
Jack Quinn | 5 |
Noah Ostlund | 5 |
Louis Crevier | 5 |
Josh Doan | 4.5 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Colten Ellis
It felt like the Sabres should've given Ellis a few more chances through the first 11 games since Luukkonen was struggling, but Ruff wanted to see whether a string of starts would help UPL find a groove. Clearly the long layoff didn't impact the former St. Louis Blues prospect too much.
Recording a shutout is one thing, but doing it in a game where the score was 1-0 until the final minute is even more impressive. And, despite Buffalo's defensive improvement, San Jose still generated 2.7 expected goals in the contests, according to HockeyStats.com.
That's the type of outing the Sabres have been desperately seeking from one of their goalies early on. Help steal a win on a night where the offense, which has been faltering in its own right (24th in goals per game), isn't able to light the lamp a bunch of times.
Ellis delivered, and he should be back between the pipes Thursday night against the Anaheim Ducks as a result.
Sabres Quick Hits
- Olen Zellweger is looking like an absolute steal for Buffalo. He's been a high-impact player in transition and as a playmaker in the offensive zone, and the glaring defensive errors he often made in Anaheim haven't popped up much this season. He'll face his old team on Thursday.
- Will the empty-netter spark a goal onslaught for Benson? The Sabres sure hope so.
- Mattias Samuelsson paced the Blue and Gold with four blocked shots. He's continued to evolve into one of the NHL's most underrated two-way defensemen.
- Josh Norris isn't scoring but it's not from a lack of effort. He's been working hard in the corners and finished Tuesday's contest with three blocked shots and two hits.
- Ruff broke up the red-hot Benson, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn trio, with Benson moving up to the top line and being replaced by Josh Doan. The shake up still didn't yield a significant offensive breakout, though.
- The Sabres (5-4-3) and Ducks (5-6-1) are scheduled for a 10 p.m. ET faceoff Thursday night at the Honda Center.
Add us as a preferred source on Google