Top draft pick Rasmus Dahlin scored his first career goal, and Jeff Skinner and Conor Sheary also tallied as the Buffalo Sabres extended their recent series dominance with a 3-0 victory over the Arizona Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz.
Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark made 36 saves for his first career shutout in his first start of the season as the Sabres improved to 8-2-1 in their last 11 games against the Coyotes and 9-2 in their last 11 games at Gila River Arena.
Dahlin, the first player taken in the 2018 draft, scored less than three minutes into the game to help the Sabres (3-2-0) get off to their best start since they opened 4-0-1 in 2011-12. Sheary scored on a power play late in the first period, and Skinner capped the scoring late in the third in the first game of a five-game road trip for Buffalo.
Skinner, acquired in the offseason from Carolina, had his first points of the season after being moved to left wing on a line with right wing Kyle Okposo and center Casey Mittelstadt. Skinner assisted on Dahlin's goal.
The Coyotes outshot the Sabres 36-23 but could not break through, going 0-for-3 on the power play.
Arizona has been shut out in three of its first four games and has not scored an even-strength goal all season. The Coyotes had a short-handed goal and a power-play goal before scoring in the shootout to beat Anaheim 3-2 on Wednesday.
Arizona goalie Antti Raanta made 20 saves.
Defenseman Dahlin, 18, scored at 2:45 of the first period after a nifty assist by Skinner, who brought the puck in on the left side and tucked it behind Raanta, who had come out of the crease. Dahlin picked up a rebound off the cage and put it into the open net at point-blank range.
Sheary gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead by scoring on a power play at 18:06 of the first period, taking a centering pass from Sam Reinhart and beating Raanta to his glove side. It was the first power-play goal the Coyotes had allowed in eight chances this season.
--Field Level Media
Buffalo | Arizona | |
Jeff Skinner 2 | Points | N/A |
Jeff Skinner 1 | Goals | N/A |
Jeff Skinner 1 | Assists | N/A |
Conor Sheary 1 | Power Play Goals | N/A |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Linus Ullmark 1.000 | Save Percentage | Antti Raanta .870 |
Linus Ullmark 36 | Saves | Antti Raanta 20 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Buffalo | 23 | 3 | 1-3 | 3-3 | 8 | 28 |
Arizona | 36 | 0 | 0-3 | 2-3 | 8 | 38 |