Facing a middling Buffalo team that had lost last night in LA, the Ducks fired 40 shots on net but were ultimately edged in the 10th round of a shootout in a 2-1 defeat.
"You don't hold your head too far down for this one," Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. "We played well. We didn't get the result, but we're happy with the way we played."
Rookie Brandon Montour put the Ducks in front with a beautiful shot in the ninth round of the shootout, but Buffalo's Rasmus Ristolainen came back with a slick deke and leave-behind move, beating goalie Jonathan Bernier with one hand on the stick.
Then after Anaheim's Nick Ritchie came up empty in the top of the 10th round, Zemgus Girgensons won it with another nice deke move, slipping the puck past Bernier with the forehand.
It spoiled a solid night for Bernier, who had 30 saves and whose only goal against came in the second period on a bad-luck play. Buffalo backup netminder Anders Nilsson gave the Ducks fits with 39 saves while stopping eight of 10 attempts in the shootout.
"We definitely had our chances, and so did they," said Ducks forward Rickard Rakell, who had Anaheim's only goal. "But it's 50/50. It's you against the goalie. They beat us tonight."
Anaheim got on the board 11:48 into the game when Cam Fowler's shot from the point was knocked down in front of the crease, and Rakell swept it in with the backhand for his team-leading 31st of the year.