Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Sabres rookie goalie Colten Ellis got his first NHL start on Wednesday against the red-hot Detroit Red Wings.
The 25-year-old goaltender had to wait over 10 minutes for his first shot on goal, and he had to make a great save on former Sabres defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. A few minutes later, he also stopped a clean-cut breakaway from forward Marco Kasper.
Ellis found out Tuesday morning he was starting, which allowed him to get an estimated 30 family members to the game. His mother was being shown on TNT many times, and she was extremely nervous as her son made save-after-save.
Ellis stopped 27-of-29 shots, including another clean-cut breakaway from Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, who had just departed the penalty box.
Buffalo was nursing a 4-2 lead late in the third period, and Ellis made another huge stop on winger Alex DeBrincat.
One of the biggest things I noticed is Ellis fights for his ice. Detroit was swarming right on top of him after they pulled John Gibson for the extra attacker, but Ellis muscled in there to make some big stops.
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff decided to start the line of Tyson Kozak, Peyton Krebs and Beck Malenstyn, and Malenstyn right off the bat used his speed to blow around Red Wings defenseman Simon Edvinsson, who took a very questionable tripping penalty.
Buffalo was all over Detroit for four minutes with the extra man, but the former Anaheim Ducks goaltender was keeping his team in the game.
In that four minutes with the extra man, Jason Zucker was stopped from the slot. Tage Thompson also couldn't score on one of his famous one-timers.
One habit the Sabres haven’t shaken is dominating a team, only to let them stick around. It cost Buffalo early in the second period when Ellis kicked out a huge, juicy rebound to Albert Johansson, who put the puck right back to the crease. Former Sabres draft pick J.T. Compher was left alone by defenseman Zach Metsa, who was standing right with him and it was 1-0, Detroit.
Before Larkin went in alone, Alex Tuch hit the post on the power play. In the third period, Tuch missed the net on a glorious chance and then hit the post again.
The Sabres kept the pressure on, but were scoreless for 31:37 when Jack Quinn made a nifty pass to Zucker, who had a yawning net right in front of him to make it 1-1.
Zucker is the Sabres' leading goal scorer with four goals, but left the game and did not return. Ruff had no report on his condition after the win.
Kozak jumped into Zucker’s place with Quinn and Noah Ostlund, and wouldn’t you know it, he took a beautiful feed from Quinn and scored from his usual spot, two feet from the net.
Buffalo got caught in bad coverage again, and Detroit tied the game to set up a good third period. The Red Wings were on a five-game winning streak, while Buffalo had won two-of-three.
The Sabres got another power play in the third period, and Quinn found open ice in the middle. As soon as he got to the open ice, Ryan McLeod made the pass just at the right moment, and Quinn ripped an absolute missile on a one-timer.
Ruff says Quinn is faster and playing faster than he did last season, which is getting him to open areas of the ice. He’s Buffalo’s leading scorer with three goals and three assists for six points in seven games.
McLeod set up Josh Doan for the insurance tally, giving Doan three goals and three assists for six points as well.
Buffalo now has three wins in four games, and it might not be very long before Ellis gets another start.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in town to start a home-and-home series this weekend. Due to political reasons, many Leaf fans aren't coming across the border for any reason, so attendance for the game could take a hit on Friday.
The Toronto Blue Jays will be hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series on Friday and Saturday, so the NHL has changed the start times for both Sabres games.
Friday is another radio only game, with faceoff now at 7:05 p.m. Saturday’s game in Toronto will now have a 5:05 p.m. puck drop with the World Series starting just after 8 p.m. both nights.
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