The Sabres opened up their 4 game road trip with a 4 to 1 loss to the Ducks. Corey Perry potted a hat trick and Ryan Getzlaf had 2 assists to lead the way for the Ducks. Tyler Ennis got the lone goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo started off strong, holding the Ducks to 0 shots on goal through the first 8 minutes and 50 seconds of play. Unfortunately their first shot came on a partial breakaway by Corey Perry who rifled the puck over the blocker shoulder of Neuvirth.
The Ducks picked up where they left off after the first period as they increased their lead to 2 to 0. Ryan Kesler skated in and fired a puck right past Neuvirth.
Despite being largely outplayed and out-shot by the Ducks, Buffalo found themselves on the score-sheet as Tyler Ennis was able to bury a shot past Andersen with only 5 minutes left in regulation to breathe some life into the Sabres attack.
Anaheim, at the hands of Corey Perry, wasted no time in responding. Perry rocketed a booming shot from the point that found the back of the net. Minutes later Perry found himself completing the hat trick as he fired the puck from his own defensive zone into the empty net.
Although they were unable to come away with a point this game was a remarkable improvement from the first few games of the year. Michal Neuvirth played a rather solid game for the Sabres despite being shaky in his debut earlier this season. If they are going to improve and manage to steal some points on this difficult road trip, the Sabres will need excellent play from the goaltending tandem of Enroth and Neuvirth.
The Buffalo Sabres are back in action tomorrow night as they head up Route 5 to Los Angeles to take on the Stanley Cup champion Kings. Puck drop is at 10:30 pm and can be watched on MSG.