National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Winnipeg 3, Buffalo 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Referees: Paul Devorski, Gord Dwyer
Linesmen: John Grandt, Brian Mach
Attendance: 15004

Jets 3, Sabres 0: Defensemen Keaton Ellerby and Jacob Trouba scored goals while Al Montoya recorded 27 saves as host Winnipeg won its third straight game.

Montoya, whose career high for wins in a season is nine, improved to 8-2-1 with his sixth consecutive victory and fifth career shutout. Anthony Peluso added an empty-net goal and Chris Thorburn - the 50th overall pick by Buffalo in the 2001 draft - recorded an assist in his 500th NHL game.

Jhonas Enroth made 23 saves for Buffalo, which lost its 10th straight road game (0-8-2) and has the fewest points in the league with 26. The Sabres have scored 29 goals on the road while going 3-13-2.

The Jets took a 1-0 lead as Ellerby's seemingly innocent wrist shot from the left point found its way past Enroth at 10:42 of the first period. Winnipeg had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 when Dustin Byfuglien received a pass from Blake Wheeler after stepping out of the penalty box and went in alone on Enroth, but the defenseman missed wide right.

Trouba, a 19-year-old rookie, gave Winnipeg a 2-0 lead at 13:06 of the second period as he stepped into a pass from Thorburn off the half-wall and blasted a shot that beat Enroth low to the stick side. Enroth kept it a two-goal game when he got a piece of Michael Frolik's shot during a breakaway with 8:34 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Buffalo D Henrik Tallinder will be out one-to-two weeks after suffering an upper-body injury Sunday against Washington. He was replaced in the lineup by Alexander Sulzer. ... Sabres LW Ville Leino left the game with a lower-body injury and did not return. ... Buffalo had a goal taken away in the first period when LW Marcus Foligno's shot crossed the goal line a split second after one side of the net came off its peg.
Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Winnipeg
N/A Points Keaton Ellerby 1
N/A Goals Keaton Ellerby 1
N/A Assists Evander Kane 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jhonas Enroth .920 Save Percentage Al Montoya 1.000
Jhonas Enroth 23 Saves Al Montoya 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 27 0 0-4 3-3 16 26
Winnipeg 26 3 0-3 4-4 8 31
Upcoming Games
  • Winnipeg will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Jets have a W/L % of .389 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Sabres have a W/L % of .182 after a win and .310 after a loss.