“The boys came out strong, and they were playing so good, and I was kind of like, ‘Gee, I need a shot here at some point to get me into it a little bit,’” Ellis said. “… When you’re not getting a lot of action, I have other ways to stay engaged, like looking at who else in is on the ice for the opposing team, and if they’re lefties, righties, who their top guys are.”
The top guy wearing the winged wheel, Dylan Larkin, escaped the penalty box for a breakaway of his own early in the second period, shortly after Detroit had taken a 1-0 lead. Ellis covered the five-hole to deny the speedy Red Wings captain of his sixth goal this season – key save No. 2.
Feeding off the energy from their rookie goaltender, Jason Zucker and Tyson Kozak scored in a five-minute span to give the Sabres a 2-1 advantage. Detroit’s Emmitt Finnie answered with a goal of his own, and they were tied after 40 minutes.
Early in the third, Kozak continued his impactful night by drawing a tripping penalty in Buffalo’s defensive zone. In the final moments of the ensuing power play, Jack Quinn stepped into a one-timer from the high slot and blasted it past goalie John Gibson for a Sabres lead.