Anaheim, California (WGR 550) –

There was no shortage of action in the first period, as the goals came not only early, but often.

Anaheim jumped out of the gates with two powerplay goals before three-minutes of game time had even expired. With former Duck Olen Zellweger and Zach Benson both in the penalty box, the home side bookended the 5-on-3 powerplay with goals from forwards Mikael Granlund and Cutter Gauthier.

The Sabres responded at the halfway point of the opening stanza. It was Tyson Kozak halving the deficit, as he made it 2-1 from downtown by using Beck Malenstyn as a screen in front of goalie Ville Husso.

Buffalo’s one-goal deficit lasted all of 35-seconds, though. Ducks rookie forward Roger McQueen potted the first goal of his NHL career at the other end of the rink, as he solved Colten Ellis for the third time in 10:38 to make it 3-1 Anaheim.

Rather than stop at getting within a goal again, the Sabres posted the final two goals of a wild first period at Honda Center. Getting the job done first was Noah Ostlund, whose nifty powerplay goal was his fourth score of the season.

Following things up was the big fella. With 4:28 left in the frame, Tage Thompson showcased the talents that has made him a three-time 40-goal scorer in the NHL. Thompson accepted a pass from Benson, blew past the Anaheim defense, and with a strong power move beat Husso short-side for his sixth goal of 2026-27.

—————

SCORING RECAP:

First Period:

BUF: 10:03 – Tyson Kozak (1) (Sam Carrick, Mattias Samuelsson); 11:39 – Noah Ostlund (4) PPG (Zach Benson, Tage Thompson); 15:31 – Tage Thompson (6) (Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs)
ANA: 1:57 – Mikael Granlund (3) PPG (Jackson LaCombe, Leo Carlsson); 2:54 – Cutter Gauthier (3) PPG (Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson); 10:38 – Roger McQueen (1) (Sam Colangelo, Nick Jensen)

Second Period:

BUF:
ANA:

Third Period:

BUF:
ANA:

—————

STATS OF THE GAME

—————

Bluestar Home Services Three Stars of the Game:

1.)
2.)
3.)

—————

What’s Next:

The California road trip wraps up on Saturday afternoon, October 31 against the Los Angeles Kings. Puck drop at Crypto.com Arena is set for 4 p.m. ET with Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call on WGR Sports Radio 550.