Olofsson, Krebs each scores twice to lift Sabres past Ducks

BUFFALO --Victor Olofsson and Peyton Krebs each scored twice for the Buffalo Sabres in a 6-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

"I feel like I had a great start, obviously (scored nine goals in his first 11 games this season), and that helped me a lot," Olofsson said. "Then I had a small dip, and I feel like these last 10 games we've been really clicking as a line, too, with [Casey Mittelstadt] and [Tyson Jost]. I feel like we're just feeding off each other, and they're feeding me with great passes."
Ilya Lyubushkin had three assists, and Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch each had two assists for the Sabres (23-19-3), who are 3-1-1 in their past five games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 34 saves.
"I thought 'Upie' had to be really good consistently when there was a quick lapse," Buffalo coach Don Granato said. "[The Ducks] executed well on some, when we gave up time and space, they executed, and that is going to happen through the course of a game. But I thought 'Upie' was really good, even after the third went in, which is not an easy situation for him. Now it's tied 3-3, there's mounting pressure on the goalie, but I give our guys lots of credit. I felt we were fresh. … Could we have been a little sharper and smarter at times? Absolutely. But obviously glad our guys looked rested."

Trevor Zegras had two goals and an assist, and John Gibson made 33 saves for the Ducks (13-29-5), who have lost six of their past seven (1-5-1).
"Just mental mistakes," Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. "It's a game that we're totally in, we battle back. Two of their goals the third period, one's a bad change, which is totally mental, has nothing to do with anything else. A turnover in the neutral zone turns into a breakaway where we had a very easy play the other way, and those are the things that kills us. Absolutely kill us. And we're a team, an obviously rebuilding team, that we have to play a perfect game to be in the game, that's just the way it is where we're at as an organization. Those mental mistakes can't happen."
Dylan Cozens gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 9:53 of the first period. He received a pass from Dahlin, skated down the left side around Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg, who dropped down to block a pass, and cut to the front of the net before lifting the puck over Gibson's right shoulder.
Jeff Skinner made it 2-0 at 17:39 when he scored from the high slot on a power play.
Zegras cut it to 2-1 at 4:47 of the second period when he finished off a give-and-go with Ryan Strome with a shot short side from the left circle. He then tied it 2-2 at 8:14 from the slot.
"His play is greatly improving always," Eakins said. "He's obviously an offensive threat all the time, he's gotten much better defensively and managing the puck, and his growth continues."
Krebs put the Sabres ahead 3-2 at 10:49, sweeping in the rebound of Dahlin's wraparound attempt.

Simon Benoit's shot from above the right circle through traffic tied it 3-3 at 15:29.
"I think the first two goals we kind of, I don't want to say gave to them, but I guess kicked ourselves in the rear end a little bit," Zegras said. "I feel like that's what we've been doing lately, coming from behind, so I wasn't surprised that we got it tied up. Obviously, the third period, they came out with some good jam, made a couple of good plays."
Olofsson gave Buffalo a 4-3 lead at 2:12 of the third period with a one-timer from the right circle off a cross-ice pass from Lyubushkin.
After Olofsson extended the lead to 5-3 at 8:07 with his 21st goal of the season, an NHL career high, Krebs scored with a wrist shot from the high slot to make it 6-3 at 13:40.
"I think what I've learned is, when you pass through the shot, the passes open up more and when you shoot more, the passes tend to open up more," Krebs said. "I'm just trying to, if the shot's there, definitely make it because I have [Zemgus Girgensons] and [Kyle Okposo] going to the net. And when the pass is there, make one."
NOTES: Zegras has nine points (five goals, four assists) during a five-game point streak. He also has seven goals in his past eight games, and his six multigoal games in the NHL are the second-most by a Ducks player before turning 22, behind Paul Kariya (13). … Henrique had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (four goals, three assists). … Tuch has five points (two goals, three assists) during a four-game point streak. … Ryan Miller, who had his No. 30 retired by the Sabres on Thursday and has the most wins by a United States-born goalie in NHL history (391), dropped the ceremonial face-off before the game. Gibson and Sabres goalie Craig Anderson, who were each born in the United States, took part in the face-off.