The Buffalo Sabres returned to the win column Tuesday night, defeating the San Jose Sharks 2-0 behind a 23-save shutout from goaltender Colten Ellis, who was making his first appearance in more than two weeks.
Ellis recorded the second shutout of his NHL career, helping Buffalo (5-4-3) secure its eighth victory in the last nine meetings against San Jose.
Olen Zellweger scored the eventual game-winner early in the second period, while Zach Benson added an empty-net goal to seal the victory.
The opening period remained scoreless despite Buffalo generating several opportunities. San Jose goaltender Yaroslav Askarov made 16 saves in the first 20 minutes to keep the Sabres off the scoreboard.
Buffalo finally broke through less than a minute into the second period when Konsta Helenius found Zellweger during an offensive rush.
Zellweger fired a shot from the top of the circle past Askarov for his third goal of the season, giving the Sabres a 1-0 advantage.
Ellis protected the narrow lead throughout the remainder of the game, including a crucial second-period stop against Collin Graf following a setup from Macklin Celebrini.
His biggest save came with just over four minutes remaining in regulation when he denied Kiefer Sherwood from close range.
The performance marked a strong return for Ellis, who had been pulled during his previous start against Florida.
Askarov finished with 38 saves for San Jose, which has managed just one regulation victory through 13 games.
Buffalo continues its road trip Thursday, traveling to face the Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
