Jason Zucker scored the game-winning power-play goal with 7:26 remaining in the second period, rookie Colten Ellis made 30 saves in his return from a concussion and the surging Buffalo Sabres earned a 5-2 victory over the host New York Rangers on Thursday.
Buffalo won for the 12th time in 13 games by never trailing, scoring in the opening five minutes and getting two more in the second. It is the fifth time in team history that the Sabres won 12 of 13 and first instance since Nov. 23-Dec. 19, 2005.
Zucker scored his team-leading sixth power-play goal by being in the right spot in front of goalie Jonathan Quick.
Quick stopped a shot from the high slot by Rasmus Dahlin but could not control the rebound. The puck darted out to Zucker, who had his back to the net and finished off a deflection to put Buffalo ahead 3-1.
It was Buffalo’s first power-play goal in its past 17 opportunities since Dahlin scored with the man advantage against the New York Islanders on Dec. 20.
Alex Tuch scored 6:58 into the second period after hitting the crossbar on a 2-on-1 late in the first. Josh Doan also scored and Mattias Samuelson tallied during a four-minute New York power play as the Sabres improved to 8-4-0 in their past road 12 games.
Ryan McLeod capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 90 seconds left.
Ellis made his first appearance since Dec. 9 and made point-blank stops on Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad midway through the third to preserve Buffalo’s one-goal lead.
Mika Zibanejad scored with 10:26 remaining in the second and Vincent Trocheck scored in the opening minute of the third, but the Rangers dropped to 5-11-4 at home.
Quick stopped 16 shots in New York’s first game since losing Igor Shesterkin to a lower-body injury.
Doan buried a pass from Samuelsson from the red line into an open net for a 1-0 lead, and Tuch doubled it by lifting a shot from the high slot over Quick’s right shoulder.
Zibanejad buried a one-timer from the right circle over a cross-ice feed from Artemi Panarin to get the Rangers within 2-1 ahead of Zucker’s goal.
Trocheck made it a one-goal game 51 seconds into the third when he slid the puck under from the right circle, but Samuelsson finished off a partial breakaway by lifting a shot over Quick from the right side with 5:22 left.
