Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson each had a goal and an assist for the Buffalo Sabres in a 3-2 win against the host Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Zach Benson scored, and Alex Lyon made 30 saves for the Sabres, who have won two straight and picked up their first regulation road win. Buffalo played without winger Alex Tuch, who was scratched because of illness.
Kiefer Sherwood and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks, who have lost nine of their past 11 games (2-8-1). Thatcher Demko made 12 saves in his return after missing 12 games with an injury.
Dahlin gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 7:36 of the first period. Ryan McLeod backhanded the puck behind himself off the end boards, retrieved it near the left corner, and sent a pass to a wide-open Dahlin in the high slot for a one-timer that beat Demko glove side.
Sherwood tied it 1-1 on the power play with 11 seconds left in the frame. Conor Garland collected a rebound in front for an attempt that was blocked, and Sherwood then backhanded the loose puck off the skate of Buffalo defenseman Conor Timmins and under Lyon’s pads to tie it 1-1.
Sasson put the Canucks ahead 2-1 at 6:15 of the second period on their first shot of the middle frame. With open space between the Sabres’ two defensemen, Sasson carried the puck up the middle into the zone with speed and fired a snap shot under Lyon’s right pad.
Thompson scored for a third straight game to tie it 2-2. Dahlin intercepted a Canucks clearing attempt along the right wall and sent a centering feed to Thompson above the slot, where we waited for a brief second before putting a wrist shot inside the left post at 9:12.
Benson’s first goal of the season put Buffalo ahead 3-2 on the power play at 14:46. Josh Doan received a pass from Thompson at the goal line and quickly dished it to Benson, who one-timed it from the inner side of the left circle.
