Colten Ellis makes 23 saves to lead the Sabres past the Sharks 2-0

On Tuesday night, Colten Ellis made a remarkable 23 saves in his return appearance to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Salesforce Transit Center in San Jose, California. Olen Zellweger put the Sabres ahead in the second period, and Ellis sealed the win in the final minutes by blocking Kiefer Sherwood's shot from point-blank range.

Zach Benson added an empty-net goal for the Sabres as they claimed their eighth victory in nine meetings against the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 38 saves for San Jose in their first game back from a six-game road trip, but the Sharks have yet to secure a regulation win this season, with only one in 13 games. The Sharks shuffled their lineup, with Alexander Wennberg and Igor Chernyshov out due to upper-body injuries that vary from week to week.

Rookie Ivar Stenberg started the game on the top line alongside Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf, but their moves did not generate much momentum.

In the first period, Askarov staved off the Sharks, making 16 saves, but he was unable to stop the first shot he faced in the second. Zellweger set up the opening goal with a rush at the top of the circle, then beat Askarov to make it 1-0. The game stayed that way, with Ellis consistently denying Graf after he was set up by Celebrini, securing the shutout. As the Sabres prepare for their next match against Anaheim on Thursday night, the Sharks head to Vancouver for a game against the Vancouver Canucks.