Anaheim is the 27th ranked team in the league, and on Thursday night the Sabres treated them like it.
The Sabres got goals from Evander Kane, Jake McCabe and Jamie McGinn in a 3-0 victory against the Ducks. Chad Johnson recorded his first shutout of the year, despite facing twice as many shots as Ducks goalie John Gibson. He had 44 saves in his fourth career shutout.
With the official save count reaching 44, Chad Johnson broke the franchise record for most saves in a shutout (Miller, 43 – 2/29/12 at ANA).
— Sabres PR (@SabresPR) December 18, 2015
Kane broke the ice three minutes into the second frame, deflecting a wide shot from Jack Eichel for his seventh of the year. It’s Eichel’s first point since Dec. 6 against Edmonton.
Cal O’Reilly got his first point as a Sabre with the primary assist on the McCabe goal. His great cross crease pass set up McCabe for his first goal of the season.
McGinn put the icing on the cake with a wrist shot late in the third. Rasmus Ristolainen drove to the net, but lost the puck. Luckily, he lost control right in front of McGinn, who was able to fire a shot past Gibson before he could get reailigned. Ristolainen’s hot streak continues, as he now has six points in the past five games.
The win puts the Sabres back within striking distance of the final wildcard spot. Buffalo is five points back, but would need to jump five teams to get there.