Ellis leads way as Sabres blank San Jose

San Jose, Calif. (WGR) - The Buffalo Sabres' California swing and "Sabres After Dark" got off on the right foot Tuesday, as goalie Colten Ellis shut the door on the Sharks in a 2-0 win at the SAP Center in San Jose.

After a scoreless, but high-flying first period of play, Sabres defenseman Olen Zellweger got the scoring started in the middle stanza. After gaining entry into the Sharks' defensive end, he surprised goalie Yaroslav Askarov with a quick snapshot from the left circle.

It was Zellweger's third goal of the season, and stood as the only goal of the second period.

Down at the other end of the rink, Ellis remained perfect in the crease for Buffalo, giving the Sabres their first lead of a game heading into the third period of play.

Ellis continued to play his game as the final 20 minutes ticked down. Meanwhile, the offense continued to apply pressure on the San Jose defense in front of Askarov, but were stymied time-and-time again.

The Sabres were finally afforded some breathing room in the late goings of regulation.

Moments after Askarov vacated the net for an extra skater, Zach Benson gave Sharks rookie forward Ivar Stenberg his "welcome to the NHL" moment, as the Sabres winger bullied the puck away from the rookie and cruised in for his first goal of the season.

As the final horn sounded, it solidified Ellis' first shutout since last season on April 9, 2026 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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SCORING RECAP

First Period:

BUF: NONE
SJS: NONE

Second Period:

BUF: 0:50 - Olen Zellweger (3) (Konsta Helenius, Owen Power)
SJS: NONE

Third Period:

BUF: 19:05 - Zach Benson (1) ENG (Tage Thompson, Owen Power)
SJS: NONE

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STATS OF THE GAME:

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Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:

1.) Colten Ellis - BUF
2.) Yaroslav Askarov - SJS
3.) Olen Zellweger - BUF

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What's next:

The Sabres continue their California road trip in Anaheim for a date with the Ducks on Thursday night at Honda Center. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleay and Rob Ray on the call the radio home of the Sabres - WGR.