Zach Metsa’s first career goal stood up as the winner, helping the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-3 win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks in NHL action Tuesday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
Tage Thompson, Ryan McLeod, Alex Tuch and Josh Doan also scored for the Sabres (22-15-4), while Bowen Byram had a pair of assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 31 saves to pick up the win in goal.
Jake DeBrusk, forward Elias Pettersson and Liam Öhgren scored for the Canucks during a furious third-period comeback attempt. Thatcher Demko stopped 15 of 19 shots and took the loss in goal for Vancouver (16-21-5).
The Sabres opened the scoring just 2:01 into the first period, when Thompson netted his 21st of the year. The big forward picked up a loose puck in the slot and zipped a shot past Demko.
Vancouver then enjoyed a sustained period where they carried the play, including a power play when they fired five shots at Luukkonen, but they were unable to score.
McLeod made it 2-0 at 11:24, converting a nice 2-on-1 feed from Alex Tuch for a shorthanded tally. Buffalo has four shorthanded markers this year, three of them from McLeod.
Shots on goal after 20 minutes favoured the Canucks, 14-9.
The Sabres upped their lead to 3-0 at 9:37 of the middle frame when Byram weaved through the Canucks defence and fed a wide-open Tuch at the side of the net. He slipped it past Demko for his 13th of the season.
In the final period, Metsa, an undrafted 27-year-old playing his 12th NHL game, got his first career goal, firing a shot from the right offensive circle past Demko at 6:13.
Midway through the period, Thompson took a four-minute minor, high-sticking DeBrusk, drawing blood and giving the Canucks some spark.
74 cleaning up in front.
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— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 7, 2026
DeBrusk quickly got a measure of revenge, breaking the shutout at 10:17, swatting home a rebound in front of Luukkonen. It was his 11th goal of the year and 10th on the power play.
Petterson drew the Canucks within two at 15:16, wheeling in the slot and wristing a shot past Luukkonen. Pettersson now has 11 goals on the season.
Just 39 seconds later, Öhgren fired a shot from the left circle through the legs of Luukkonen to make it 4-3 with his third of the year.
The Canucks could draw no closer, and Doan sealed things with an empty-netter at 18:36.
Vancouver’s next action is Thursday, when they visit the Detroit Red Wings (4 p.m.).
NOTES: B.C. product Byram has nine points in his last seven games … The Sabres were coming off 5-1 loss to Columbus, on heels of a 10-game win streak… Vancouver’s Brock Boeser had two assists, but has now gone 17 games without a goal… The Canucks were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Sabres were 0-for-1.