Vancouver 4, Buffalo 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 23, 2014
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
Referees:
Dave Jackson, Brad Watson
Linesmen:
Steve Barton, Kiel Murchison
Attendance:
18910
By SportsDirect Inc.
Canucks 4, Sabres 2: Shawn Matthias collected a goal and two assists while Zack Kassian burned his former team by setting up all four tallies as host Vancouver recorded its fifth win in eight games.
Brad Richardson recorded a goal and an assist while David Booth and defenseman Yannick Weber also scored for the Canucks, who welcomed back Daniel Sedin from a nine-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Twin brother Henrik, however, suffered a left leg injury in the second period and did not return as Vancouver climbed within three points of Phoenix for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Tyler Ennis scored his team-leading 19th goal and blue-liner Jamie McBain also tallied for the reeling Sabres, who have dropped eight of their last nine. British Columbia native Nathan Lieuwen finished with 32 saves in his second NHL start.
After spotting Buffalo an early two-goal lead, Vancouver leveled the contest as Kassian set up Richardson and Matthias 2:36 apart midway through the first period. Weber's soft wrist shot from high along the right-wing boards slipped between the pads of Lieuwen at 1:40 of the second to give Vancouver a 3-2 lead.
Booth provided insurance 2:23 into the third period with a wrist shot from the left circle for his first goal since Dec. 17 - a span of 32 games. Rookie Eddie Lack overcame a rocky start to finish with 16 saves.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Canucks captain Henrik Sedin was honored in a pregame ceremony for playing his 1,000th NHL game on March 12. ... Vancouver C Ryan Kesler returned from a four-game absence due to a knee injury. ... Buffalo C Cody Hodgson, who was traded for Kassian in February 2012, lost 11-of-16 faceoffs.
Top Game Performances
| Buffalo |
|
Vancouver |
|
Tyler Ennis 1 |
Points |
Zach Kassian 4 |
|
Tyler Ennis 1 |
Goals |
Shawn Matthias 1 |
|
Matt D'Agostini 1 |
Assists |
Zach Kassian 4 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Nathan Lieuwen .889 |
Save Percentage |
Eddie Lack .889 |
|
Nathan Lieuwen 32 |
Saves |
Eddie Lack 16 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Buffalo
|
18 |
2 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
4 |
27 |
| Vancouver
|
36 |
4 |
0-1 |
1-1 |
4 |
31 |
Upcoming Games
-
Vancouver will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Canucks have a W/L % of .485 after a win and .425 after a loss.
-
Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Montreal. The Sabres have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .314 after a loss.