Buffalo Sabres Week in Review (Oct. 27–31)
The Buffalo Sabres couldn't have asked for a much better response after a frustrating stretch of hockey, sweeping their three-game California road trip with wins over the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. After entering the week on a three-game losing streak, Buffalo has now won three straight, extended its overall point streak to four games and improved to 7-4-3 on the season.
The sweep marked the second time in three seasons that the Sabres have won all three games of their California road trip, having previously accomplished the feat in 2024-25. More importantly, it was a much-needed turnaround for a team that had struggled to find consistency through the opening weeks of the season.
One of the biggest reasons for Buffalo's success was the resurgence of Tage Thompson. After a quiet stretch offensively, the 29-year-old came alive out West, recording eight points (5-3–8) and 18 shots on goal over three games. He picked up an assist in his 500th career game against San Jose before putting together a five-point performance, including a natural hat trick, against Anaheim. Thompson then carried that momentum into Los Angeles, scoring twice, including the game-winner on the power play, to help complete the sweep.
Thompson wasn't the only player finding success offensively, either. Jack Quinn and Zach Benson continued to make their presence felt, while Buffalo's blue line remained an important part of the offensive attack. After relying heavily on a handful of players to generate offence in recent weeks, the Sabres finally started to see things come together throughout the lineup.
Perhaps the most encouraging development was the improvement on the power play. After converting just once on 19 opportunities over their previous six games, Buffalo went 2-for-3 with the man advantage in back-to-back contests against Anaheim and Los Angeles. It's still early to say whether the Sabres have completely turned a corner on special teams, but after weeks of frustration, the improvement was certainly a welcome sight.
Unfortunately, the same can't quite be said for the penalty kill. Buffalo enters the new week operating at just 68.8% while shorthanded, ranking 29th in the NHL. The struggles were evident against Anaheim, where the Ducks scored twice on the power play in the opening three minutes, and again against Los Angeles. However, the Sabres did come up with a crucial penalty kill late in Saturday's game, protecting their one-goal lead to secure the victory. It's a step in the right direction, but consistency remains the biggest concern.
Another encouraging sign has been Buffalo's ability to overcome adversity. The Sabres currently lead the NHL with four comeback victories after trailing by multiple goals, including Thursday's wild 7-6 win over Anaheim. While their resilience has been impressive, it's also something Buffalo would probably prefer not to rely on quite so often. The Ducks nearly erased a four-goal deficit in the final period, while the Kings managed to erase Buffalo's 2-0 lead on Saturday. The Sabres are finding ways to win, but learning how to protect those leads will be just as important moving forward.
Between the pipes, Buffalo also received contributions from both of its goaltenders. Colten Ellis was outstanding in San Jose, stopping all 23 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season before making 29 saves in the high-scoring victory over Anaheim. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen then returned to the crease against Los Angeles, turning aside 27 shots in his 200th career NHL game to help Buffalo finish the trip undefeated.
After a difficult few weeks, the Sabres are finally starting to look more like the team that found success last season. The offence is producing, the power play is showing signs of life and, most importantly, Buffalo is finding ways to win games. There are still areas that need improvement, particularly defensively and on the penalty kill, but the California sweep has given the Sabres some much-needed momentum heading into November.
Buffalo will now return home for a three-game homestand, beginning Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators before welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday and Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. With three consecutive victories under their belt, the challenge now becomes carrying that momentum back to KeyBank Center.
Upcoming Games:
Nov. 4 vs. Ottawa Senators
Nov. 6 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Nov. 8 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the three games:
Buffalo Sabres vs. San Jose Sharks – Oct. 27th 2026
Final: 2 (BUF) – 0 (SJS)
The Buffalo Sabres kicked off their three-game California road trip on a high note Tuesday, snapping a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.
After a scoreless opening period, Olen Zellweger broke the deadlock just 50 seconds into the second, firing a wrist shot from the left face-off circle past Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
Despite the early second-period goal, neither team could find the back of the net again until the final minute of regulation. Both goaltenders were outstanding throughout the contest, with Askarov turning aside 38 shots to keep San Jose within striking distance, while Colten Ellis stood tall at the other end, shutting down all 23 shots he faced. Zach Benson eventually sealed the victory with an empty-net goal at 19:05 of the third period after a great forecheck, securing the 2-0 win and Ellis' first shutout of the season and second of his NHL career.
The game also marked a pair of milestones, as Tage Thompson skated in his 500th career game with the Sabres, picking up an assist, while Owen Power became the third-fastest defenceman in franchise history to reach 150 career NHL points, accomplishing the feat in 335 games. Only Phil Housley (160) and Rasmus Dahlin (262) reached the mark faster.
Buffalo's blue line has continued to play a significant role offensively this season, with Zellweger's goal marking the 10th scored by a Sabres defenceman through the opening 12 games. Entering Tuesday's contest, 29% of Buffalo's goals had come from defencemen, the highest percentage of any team in the NHL.
Three Stars:
#1. Colten Ellis (BUF) – SO
#2. Yaroslav Askarov (SJS) – .975 SV%
#3. Olen Zellweger (BUF) – 1G
Buffalo Sabres vs. Anaheim Ducks – Oct. 29th 2026
Final: 7 (BUF) – 6 (ANA)
The Buffalo Sabres extended their winning streak to two games on Thursday, overcoming a pair of two-goal deficits before holding off a late Anaheim Ducks comeback to secure a wild 7-6 victory at Honda Center.
Anaheim got off to a quick start, scoring twice during a 5-on-3 power play in the opening three minutes to take a 2-0 lead. Tyson Kozak got Buffalo on the board at 10:03, but Ducks rookie Roger McQueen responded just 35 seconds later with his first career NHL goal to restore Anaheim's two-goal advantage. Noah Ostlund cut the deficit to one on the power play at 11:39 before Tage Thompson tied things up at three just under four minutes later, capping off a wild opening period that saw the two teams combine for six goals.
But Thompson wasn't finished there. The Sabres forward struck twice in just 15 seconds late in the second period to complete a natural hat trick and give Buffalo a 5-3 lead. The three-goal performance marked the 10th hat trick of his NHL career, tying Danny Gare and Alexander Mogilny for the third-most in Sabres franchise history.
Buffalo carried that momentum into the third, with Jack Quinn scoring on the power play at 1:57 before Zach Benson added a breakaway goal just under five minutes later to extend the lead to 7-3. The Sabres had scored six unanswered goals and appeared to be cruising toward a comfortable victory, but Anaheim wasn't going down without a fight.
Cutter Gauthier scored his second power-play goal of the night at 7:26 to cut the deficit to three. The Ducks then made things interesting, pulling their goaltender with roughly six minutes remaining in a desperate attempt to mount a comeback. Tristan Luneau scored with 1:08 left before Beckett Sennecke brought Anaheim within one just 37 seconds later. Suddenly, what had looked like a comfortable four-goal lead had turned into an unnecessary nail-biter, but Buffalo managed to hang on for the 7-6 victory.
Thompson led the way with five points (3-2–5), while Benson recorded a goal and two assists and Peyton Krebs added three helpers. Rasmus Dahlin also contributed two assists, while netminder Colten Ellis turned aside 29 shots to earn his second consecutive victory.
The game also marked Olen Zellweger's first matchup against his former team since being acquired from Anaheim in June, with the defenceman picking up an assist. Meanwhile, Quinn continued his strong offensive stretch, bringing his total to 10 points (5-5–10) over his last eight games.
Three Stars:
#1. Tage Thompson (BUF) – 3G, 2A
#2. Cutter Gauthier (ANA) – 2G
#3. Peyton Krebs (ANA) – 3A
Buffalo Sabres vs. L.A. Kings – Oct. 31st 2026
Final: 3 (BUF) – 2 (LAK)
The Buffalo Sabres wrapped up their California road trip on a high note Saturday, extending their winning streak to three games with a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. The win also extended Buffalo's road point streak to seven games (4-0-3), improving its overall record to 7-4-3.
Buffalo got off to a strong start, with Jack Quinn opening the scoring on the power play at 6:35 of the first period. The 25-year-old fired a snap shot from the slot past Kings netminder Anton Forsberg, with Zach Benson and Rasmus Dahlin picking up the assists.
Tage Thompson doubled the lead at 15:38 of the second period, finishing off a feed from Benson on the rush to make it 2-0. However, Los Angeles responded less than two minutes later when Trevor Moore's shot deflected off Corey Perry and into the net. The goal was initially waved off for goaltender interference, but a successful Kings challenge overturned the call, cutting Buffalo's lead to 2-1 heading into the third.
The Kings carried that momentum into the final frame, with Andre Lee tying the game on the man advantage just 1:29 into the period after finding himself alone in front of the net. Suddenly, Buffalo's two-goal advantage had disappeared, and the Sabres found themselves in another tightly contested game.
Fortunately for Buffalo, Thompson wasn't finished finding the back of the net.
With just over six minutes remaining in regulation, Thompson buried a one-timer from the left face-off circle off a cross-slot pass from Quinn on the power play, restoring Buffalo's lead at 3-2. The goal marked Thompson's fifth in his last two games and proved to be the game-winner as the Sabres held on to complete the California sweep.
After struggling with the man advantage through much of the early season, Buffalo's power play has started to show signs of life. The Sabres finished 2-for-3 against Los Angeles, marking their second consecutive game with two power-play goals after converting just once on 19 opportunities over their previous six contests.
Thompson's two-goal performance also moved him into ninth place on Buffalo's all-time goals list, surpassing Rene Robert with 223 goals in 502 games. Quinn continued his impressive offensive stretch with a goal and an assist, while Benson and Dahlin each recorded two helpers.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 27 shots in his 200th career NHL game, helping Buffalo secure its third consecutive victory and a perfect 3-0-0 record on its California road trip.
Three Stars:
#1. Tage Thompson (BUF) – 2G
#2. Jack Quinn (BUF) – 1G, 1A
#3. Corey Perry (LAK) – 1G
Notable Injuries:
Jiri Kulich (F): Concussion (DTD)
Konsta Helenius (F): Upper Body (DTD)
Alex Lyon (G): Upper Body (IR) – Expected to be out until at least Nov. 22
Matt Grzelcyk (D): Lower Body (IR) – Expected to be out until at least Nov. 8
Justin Danforth (F): Lower Body (IR) – Expected to be out until at least Nov. 8
Conor Timmins (D): Lower Body (IR) – Expected to be out until at least Nov. 6
Notable Transactions:
Dennis Gilbert (D): Reassigned to Rochester (AHL) – Nov. 1
Sam Carrick (F): Placed on IR – Oct. 20
Justin Danforth (F): Placed on IR – Oct. 19
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