By Canadian Press

Kulich puts up three points, Buffalo Sabres come back to top Vancouver Canucks 3-2

Jan 21, 2025 | 10:48 PM

VANCOUVER — Jiri Kulich had a goal and two assists and the Buffalo Sabres rallied to beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday.

J.J. Peterka also scored and contributed a helper for the Sabres (18-24-5), while Tage Thompson buried his team-leading 21st of the season. Rasmus Dahlin registered two assists.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced for a Buffalo side that was coming off a 6-4 loss to the Kraken in Seattle on Monday.

Elias Pettersson and Phillip Di Giuseppe — with his first of the season — scored for the Canucks (20-16-10), and Thatcher Demko made 23 saves.

Canucks defenceman Tyler Myers served the first game of the three-game suspension he was handed for cross-checking Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard in the face late in Vancouver’s 3-2 win on Saturday.

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Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was handed the same sanction for slamming his stick into the head of Vancouver winger Conor Garland moments earlier.

TAKEAWAYS

Canucks: With Myers out of the lineup, Mark Friedman returned from the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks and played his first NHL game since Dec. 14. He was paired with Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and registered 15:01 in ice time. Pettersson’s goal was his first in six games since returning from an undisclosed injury.

Sabres: Veteran winger Jason Zucker was sidelined by illness after contributing a goal and an assist in Seattle on Monday. Buffalo opted to go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen in Vancouver.

KEY MOMENT

Dahlin snapped a pass across the faceoff circle to Peterka and the winger blasted a shot in under Demko’s pads for the game-winning goal at the 13:33 mark of the third period.

KEY STAT

Vancouver has not won two games in a row since Dec. 1. The team is 7-9-7 since.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Battle the Flames in Calgary on Thursday.

Canucks: Visit the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press