Ducks lose ninth straight, fall to streaking Sabres

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jack Quinn scored twice, Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Ducks 5-3 on Saturday night for their 13th win in 14 games.

Buffalo’s 14-game run is the best in franchise history. The stretch has elevated the Sabres from last place in the Eastern Conference into a playoff position as the team tries to end the longest postseason drought in NHL history at 14 seasons.

Bowen Byram and Josh Norris also scored in Buffalo’s third consecutive victory and sixth in a row at home. Peyton Krebs and Zach Benson each had two assists, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 31 saves in winning for the fifth time in six starts.

Olen Zellweger, Leo Carlsson and Mason McTavish scored for the Ducks late in the third period after the Sabres twice established three-goal leads. Lukas Dostal had 27 saves as Anaheim closed out a four-game trip by losing its ninth in a row.

The Ducks were without top-line forward Troy Terry, who sat out his second consecutive game with an upper-body injury.

Quinn gave Buffalo the lead two minutes into the game with his second goal in 20 games.

Thompson made it 2-0 midway through the second period when he scored his team-leading 22nd of the season. Josh Doan set up the scoring chance on the forecheck, stealing the puck from Anaheim’s Tim Washe, and Krebs found Thompson for a tap-in at the edge of the crease.

Byram matched his career-high with his 10th of the season, scoring in the third period on a shot from the high slot set up by Thompson’s pass from behind the net.

Quinn scored again 44 seconds after Zellweger broke the shutout with less than five minutes remaining in the third period. Carlsson and McTavish scored 1:10 apart late, and Norris scored into an empty net with 11 seconds to go.