Zach Benson scored his first in 35 games to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night at Rogers Arena. The Sabres were outshot 32-15 in the game, but a two-goal second period was enough to get them a 3-2 lead, and eventually the win after surviving a third period where they were outshot 12-2. The Sabres have now won two straight, and improve to 13-14-4 on the season. The Canucks, meanwhile, continue their win-one, lose-two streak and fall to 11-17-3.
Kiefer Sherwood and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko returned to the lineup and made 12 saves.
Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Benson scored for the Sabres. Alex Lyon made 30 saves.
Game Recap
The Sabres opened the scoring early in the first period with Dahlin’s third of the season. Skating downhill from the blue line, the Sabres captain blasted it home from the left hash marks, posting his fifth goal and 15th point against the Canucks in his career. The score remained 1-0 until late in the period, when Sherwood banked in his team-leading 13th off Conor Timmins and into the net with 10.3 seconds remaining on the clock. The score was 1-1 at the end of the first, with the Canucks leading on the shot clock 12-6.
The second period saw three goals, two from the Sabres and one from the Canucks. First, Sasson gave the Canucks the lead with his sixth of the season, busting down the left wing with his signature speed and snapping a shot five-hole on Lyon. Then, the Sabres responded with back-to-back goals from Thompson and Benson to retake the lead, 3-2; Thompson sniped his team-leading 15th from the slot at 9:12, and Benson broke his 35-game scoring drought at 14:46, one-timing his first of the season from the bumper on the power play. The Canucks again outshot the Sabres in the period 8-6, but this time, ended it down 3-2.
The third period had plenty of scoring chances and close calls – mostly by the Canucks – but no goals. Thanks to a handful of blocked shots in the final minute and a post by Filip Hronek, Lyon and the Sabres escaped Vancouver with a 3-2 win.
What’s Next
The Canucks will start a five-game eastern road trip that begins with the Hughes Bowl (minus Jack) on Sunday against the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres are also in action on Sunday, as they head to Seattle to face the Kraken.
