Sabres 5, Ducks 2

Corey Perry scored two power play goals for the Ducks, but the club trailed the entire way in Buffalo and fell to the Sabres 5-2.

It was the fifth game in a span of seven days for Anaheim, who will conclude its season-long seven-game road trip with games at Los Angeles (Dec. 26) and Phoenix (Dec. 28) after the Christmas break.

The Ducks, who won 3-0 at Boston on Monday, lost for the first time in five meetings with the Sabres. Anaheim went 2-3 in the five games. Backup goaltender Curtis McElhinney stopped 37 shots in the loss. Perry's two goals were his team-leading 18th and 19th of the season.

Tyler Ennis scored two goals to lift Buffalo and  Ryan Miller earned his 199th NHL win. Craig Rivet had a goal and assist, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe also scored.

McElhinney made his eighth start of the season in place of No. 1 goalie Jonas Hiller, who has played an NHL-high 32 games.

The Sabres scored three goals in the first period and stretched their lead to 4-0 on Ennis’ second of the game and ninth of the season at 4:40 of the second. The rookie wristed a shot into the top-left corner from the left circle.

Stafford made it 1-0 with his ninth of the season on the power play 4:43 into the game. Following a nifty give-and-go with Roy in the left circle, Stafford slipped a backhander along the ice and between McElhinney’s legs.

Gerbe doubled the lead with his first this season, putting in a rebound from the slot.

Anaheim forward Jason Blake was then given a major penalty and was ejected after he hit Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta into the boards from behind with 6:24 left in the first. Ennis capitalized on the long power play with 3:03 to go to make it 3-0. He scored off a rebound of Andrej Sekera’s initial shot from the top of the right circle.

Rivet made it 5-1 with his first with 2:57 left in the game. Perry capped the scoring with a power-play goal with 9 seconds remaining.

NOTES: The Ducks recalled LW Josh Green from Syracuse of the AHL after C Nick Bonino injured a foot against Boston. He day-to-day. … Sabres C Tim Connolly missed the game due to a fractured nose sustained against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He will be out at least a week. … Rivet, Buffalo’s captain, returned after being a healthy scratch for 11 straight games. … Miller got engaged over the weekend to Noureen DeWulf. … Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf and Sabres C Cody McCormick fought immediately after the opening faceoff in the second period. Five seconds later, Anaheim’s Kyle Chipchura and Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad also fought.