Ellis stops 23 as Sabres blank Sharks 2-0 in San Jose

Colten Ellis turned aside all 23 shots Tuesday to backstop the Sabres to a 2-0 win over the Sharks at SAP Center. Ellis earned player of the game honors with a Chirp Rating of 8.0 and the shutout.

Neither side scored in the first period. Buffalo broke through 50 seconds into the second, when Olen Zellweger beat the goalie with a snap shot for a 1-0 lead. Konsta Helenius and Owen Power picked up the assists. That goal held up as the only score for most of the night, with Ellis shutting every door and San Jose never finding an equalizer.

The Sabres sealed it late. Zach Benson scored on a wrist shot at 19:05 of the third for the 2-0 final. Tage Thompson and Power assisted. Power finished with two assists and two points.

Buffalo moves to 5-4-3 and 13 points. San Jose falls to 6-6-1, also with 13 points. Chirp's Sim had the Sharks at 51% before the game, so this one went against a near coin flip.