SABRES 1, SHARKS 0: Ryan Miller secured his second consecutive shutout with 39 saves and Drew Stafford scored his third goal in as many contests as visiting Buffalo blanked San Jose.

After setting a franchise record with 43 saves in a shutout of the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, Miller continued his stingy nature by silencing the Sharks. He stopped 11 shots in both the first and second periods and 17 more in the third to secure his fifth shutout of the season and 27th career.

Tyler Ennis was credited with an assist for the Sabres, who improved to 10-3-3 in their last 16 games. Buffalo now sits four points behind the eighth-place Winnipeg Jets in the Eastern Conference standings.

Stafford opened the scoring with 1:09 remaining in the first period. After a San Jose turnover in the neutral zone, Stafford accepted a feed from Ennis and blasted a shot from the top of the right circle which handcuffed Antti Niemi for his 13th goal of the season.

The Sharks turned up the intensity in the third period, outshooting the Sabres by a 17-5 margin. Miller, however, closed the door to improve to 5-0-1 in his last six contests.

After being pulled in two of his previous three starts, Niemi turned aside 18 shots as the Sharks remained two points behind Phoenix in the Pacific Division. The Coyotes dropped a 4-2 decision to the Calgary Flames on Thursday.

San Jose, which fell to 3-7-1 in its last 11 games, also remained two points behind the sixth-place Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference standings.

All-Star Logan Couture sat out his second straight contest with a lower-body injury. He suffered the injury during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Wild.

GAME NOTEBOOK: San Jose captain Joe Thornton saw his six-game point streak come to an end. ... Buffalo defeated San Jose for the fourth straight time and sixth in the last seven meetings. Niemi fell to 0-2-0 in his career versus the Sabres. ... Buffalo D Robyn Regehr exited the contest with a lower body injury.