Sabres slip past Ducks in shootout
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Zemgus Girgensons scored in the 10th shootout round to give the Buffalo Sabres a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night at the Honda Center.
Ryan O'Reilly scored in regulation for the Sabres (29-31-12), who received 39 saves from Anders Nilsson.
Rickard Rakell scored for the Ducks (37-23-11), who moved within six points of the first-place San Jose Sharks in the Pacific Division.
Anaheim will travel to the Bay Area to play the Sharks on Saturday night.
Girgensons faked before depositing a backhand shot over the right leg pad of Ducks goalie Jonathan Bernier, who stopped 30 shots in regulation, 14 of those in the third period.
Rakell used his 31st goal of the season to extend his goal-scoring streak to four consecutive games and give the Ducks a 1-0 lead with 8:12 left in the first period.
Brandon Montour began the scoring sequence with a backhand pass from behind the net to Cam Fowler, who fired a slap shot from near the right point. Rakell deflected the puck out of the air to the ice before backhanding it behind Nilsson for his ninth goal in 10 games.
The Sabres had a chance to tie the score when they went on a two-on-one breakaway 1:30 into the second period. But Evander Kane's pass from the left wing ricocheted off the blade of Brian Gionta's stick.
O'Reilly's 17th goal tied the score with 4:25 left in the second period. Jake McCabe's hard wrist shot from the blue line deflected off Bernier's glove and the back of O'Reilly's left skate before sliding inside the right post.
Anaheim had a chance to take a 2-1 lead 26 seconds into the third period, but an onrushing Ryan Kesler redirected Sami Vatanen's pass from the right boards just wide of the left post.
Corey Perry had another chance on a breakaway about nine minutes later, but his slap shot from the right circle hit the left post.
Nilsson kept the Ducks from winning in overtime when he used his stick to deflect a wrist shot from the onrushing Jakob Silfverberg into the crowd.
NOTES: Buffalo scratched LW Nicolas Deslauriers and D Justin Falk. ... Sabres RW Brian Gionta needs four games for 1,000 in his career. ... Sabres coach Dan Byslma played for the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim from 2000 to 2004 . ... Anaheim scratched G John Gibson, D Korbinian Holzer, RW Ondrej Kase and C Logan Shaw. ... Ducks LW Nick Ritchie played in his 100th career game. ... Ducks LW Andrew Cogliano played in his 775th consecutive game. If Cogliano appears Saturday night in San Jose, he would tie Craig Ramsay for fourth place all time in successive games played. ... Ducks coach Randy Carlyle needs one victory to tie Hall of Famer Punch Imlach for career victories with 402. Imlach was the Sabres' first coach and served from 1970 to 1972.