Sabres Survive Wild Shootout in Anaheim, Edge Ducks 7-6

The Buffalo Sabres escaped Honda Center with a pulse-pounding 7-6 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night, and if you blinked during this one, you missed about three goals. Thirteen combined tallies made this look more like a beer league game than an NHL contest, with goaltenders on both sides apparently taking the night off from that whole "stopping pucks" thing.

Buffalo built what should have been a comfortable cushion, but the Ducks kept clawing back like a team that forgot defense was optional, not mandatory. Every time the Sabres pushed ahead, Anaheim answered—this thing was a back-and-forth track meet on ice that had both benches reaching for the Tums by the third period.

Credit to Buffalo for finding one more goal than the Ducks when it mattered, though calling this a "win" feels generous when you surrender six goals. The Sabres' offense showed up ready to party, but their defensive structure looked like Swiss cheese left out in the California sun.

DarkHorse didn't touch this one with a published pick, and honestly? Smart move. Trying to handicap a game where both teams forgot how to play defense is like predicting a coin flip in a hurricane. Buffalo gets two points, but neither team should be proud of what passed for hockey tonight.