The Ducks kicked off the east coast trek earning a point last night in Washington. Skating without top-line forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Adam Henrique, Anaheim peppered 33 shots on one of the NHL's top defensive clubs, getting goals from Josh Manson, Sonny Milano and Vinni Lettieri.
The trio of Milano and linemates Trevor Zegras and Rickard Rakell continue to drive Anaheim's offense in the absence of Getzlaf and Henrique. Zegras became just the fourth rookie in the last 25 years to record multiple assists in three straight games, joining Mathew Barzal, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane. The 20-year-old paces NHL rookies in scoring (4-12=16) and assists since Nov. 1 and currently leads the NHL with seven assists in December.
Milano has six points (2-4=6) in his last three games and 15 points (6-9=15) in his last 15 appearances. He ranks third among team leaders in assists and fifth in points.
Anaheim and Buffalo conclude a two-game season series tonight as the Ducks look to revenge a 3-2 OT loss to the Sabres in October at Honda Center. Simon Benoit scored his first career NHL goal to force the extra session, where Rasmus Asplund beat Anthony Stolarz to give Buffalo the road win. For Anaheim, the loss stretched a winless streak to five games, but turned out to be a turning point, instead beginning what would become an NHL-best 10-game point streak (8-0-2).
The Sabres host the Ducks tonight to begin a three-game homestand. Buffalo has been much better on home ice (6-6-1) than away from KeyBank Center (2-7-2) and currently sit sixth in the Atlantic Division (8-13-3).
The Sabres continue to look for a long-term answer in net. This week they recalled 22-year-old netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen from the AHL and acquired journeyman Malcolm Subban from Chicago. Buffalo opened the season with a duo of veterans Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski, both of whom are out of the lineup. Luukkonen has yet to play in an NHL game this season but is 6-6-0 with an .888 save percentage and a 3.45 goals-against average in 12 games for the Rochester Americans (AHL).
Following tonight's game, Anaheim will head to Columbus to meet the Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
