National Hockey League
Arizona 2, Buffalo 0
When: 9:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 16, 2023
Where: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Trevor Hanson
Linesmen: Ryan Galloway, Brandon Grillo
Attendance: 4600

Karel Vejmelka made 28 saves to help the Arizona Coyotes to a 2-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday in Tempe, Ariz.

Clayton Keller and Liam O'Brien scored for the Coyotes, who recorded their second straight shutout. Connor Ingram was in goal for a 1-0 win against the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 20 saves for the Sabres, who have not won consecutive games since Oct. 29-Nov. 1.

Neither side generated much by way of high-danger chances in a first period that ended with shots on goal even at nine apiece.

The Sabres started to put the pressure on in the second period, with sustained offensive zone time right off the hop through the first minute.

But Arizona got a few chances of its own early, with O'Brien trying to swipe a loose puck in at the doorstep and Matias Maccelli firing a shot from the left wall, but both attempts were denied by Luukkonen.

Moments later, the Sabres came close to breaking through when Casey Mittelstadt spotted Ryan Johnson streaking into the slot for a shot, but Vejmelka got a piece of it with his stick to deflect it away.

Keller gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 15:12 of the second. A Sabres pass attempt in the offensive zone missed the target and went the length of the ice to Luukkonen, who took it behind the net while his teammates changed, but the goaltender fanned on his attempt and Alex Kerfoot stole the puck and dished it to Keller for the open-net tally.

That gave the home side life. Jason Zucker was stopped on a backhand chance in front of the net with just under four minutes left in the period and less than two minutes later, Luukkonen stopped Troy Stecher on a drive to the net.

The Sabres had a pair of short-handed opportunities in the final minute of the second. Alex Tuch broke in after intercepting a pass but was stopped by Vejmelka, and then he sent the rebound to an oncoming Tage Thompson, but Vejmelka dove for the poke check.

O'Brien made it 2-0 at 9:36 of the third period. Logan Cooley intercepted a Buffalo pass attempt and sent it to O'Brien, who scored backhand glove side on a breakaway.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Buffalo   Arizona
N/A Points Clayton Keller 1
N/A Goals Clayton Keller 1
N/A Assists Logan Cooley 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen .909 Save Percentage Karel Vejmelka 1.000
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 20 Saves Karel Vejmelka 28
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Buffalo 28 0 0-1 2-2 6 17
Arizona 22 2 0-2 1-1 4 21
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Ottawa. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .467 after a win and .533 after a loss.
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Columbus. The Sabres have a W/L % of .077 after a win and .632 after a loss.