Colten Ellis made 37 saves for his first NHL shutout as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 5-0, on Thursday night at KeyBank Center.
Making his first start since February 3, Ellis delivered a career-high save total to anchor Buffalo’s fifth shutout of the season. Peyton Krebs opened the scoring in the first period, and the Sabres carried a 1-0 lead into the third before breaking the game open with four goals.
Josh Doan scored twice in the third period, while Jack Quinn added his 20th goal of the season during a quick surge that saw Buffalo net three goals in a span of under seven minutes. Doan and Quinn scored 25 seconds apart to extend the lead, and Rasmus Dahlin capped the scoring with an empty-net goal.
Josh Norris and Logan Stanley each recorded two assists as Buffalo continued its strong stretch, improving to 49-23-8 with 106 points to remain atop the Atlantic Division. The Sabres have earned points in 26 of their last 31 games.
Buffalo limited Columbus to few second-chance opportunities behind Ellis’ steady play, while the Blue Jackets struggled offensively in their seventh loss in eight games.
The Sabres improved to 36-6-2 when scoring first and 26-2-0 when leading after two periods this season.
Buffalo returns to action Monday on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.