How Buffalo fared against the Ducks in 2023/2024

Coming into the 2023/2024 regular season, both the Buffalo Sabres and Anaheim Ducks were slated to go in two different directions. For Buffalo, they were hoping to end the playoff drought after missing the postseason by just one point the year before. As for Anaheim, it was a different story.

Even with the talent such as Trevor Zegras, the Ducks were viewed as a rebuilding team and would be at the bottom of the standings. So how did the Sabres fare against Anaheim? Spoiler alert, not so good. The first meeting between the two teams took place in the month of January, as Buffalo was beginning their California road trip.

The first two periods did not go the Sabres way as they were trailing 3-0 heading into the final 20 minutes of play. Buffalo finally found their scoring in the last few minutes of the third period thanks to goals from Jordan Greenway and Kyle Okposo. After the former Sabres captain scored, Buffalo still had 2:56 remaining to even the score.

However, Adam Henrique put the nail in the coffin with the empty net goal as the Ducks won the first matchup 4-2. Almost a month later, they would wrap up their season series in Buffalo for a President's Day matinee.

Greenway gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead before Henrique tied the game up just about a minute later. The second period saw the rest of the scoring in the game. On the power play, Buffalo regained the lead thanks to Tage Thompson. It would only last a couple of minutes as Anaheim took the lead after Frank Vatrano scored twice.

Less than a minute later, Sabres rookie Zach Benson tied the game to make it 3-3. With less than two minutes to go in the period, Troy Terry scored what would be the game winning goal, and the Ducks swept their season series with the Sabres, winning 4-3 in this matchup.

Getting swept by one team is one thing, but getting swept by one of the worst teams in the league is not something you want to experience. While there were other losses during the season, it's possible the season series with Anaheim costed Buffalo crucial points in what could've been vital in making a push for the playoffs.