Jack Quinn tallied a goal and two assists, and goaltender Colten Ellis impressed in his NHL debut as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2, on Wednesday night at KeyBank Center to improve to 3-4-0 on the season.
Detroit entered the matchup riding a five-game win streak and atop the Atlantic Division standings, but Buffalo snapped that run while earning its third win in four games.
Ellis, claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Blues earlier this month, made 27 saves. The 23-year-old stopped breakaways from Marco Kasper and Dylan Larkin and robbed Alex DeBrincat on a close-range one-timer in the third period to preserve the lead.
Quinn set up second-period goals from Jason Zucker and Tyson Kozak to erase an early Detroit advantage. After the Red Wings pulled even on Emmitt Finnie’s goal, Quinn struck again on the power play midway through the third to put Buffalo back on top. Josh Doan added insurance minutes later to seal the win.
Zucker exited the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return.
TBuffalo now turns its focus to a home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, beginning Friday night at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].