The Vancouver Canucks pulled off a gritty 4-3 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres in an unusual Black Friday matinee matchup with a 12 PM PST puck drop.
After a sluggish start that saw them fall behind 1-0, the Canucks rallied to a 3-1 lead before Buffalo stormed back to force overtime.
The extra frame was all Canucks, as they dominated puck possession. When the Sabres did threaten, goaltender Kevin Lankinen delivered, making a series of clutch saves to keep Vancouver alive.
The game reached its dramatic conclusion when Quinn Hughes sent a perfect seam pass to Connor Garland, who buried the game-winning goal.
Head coach Rick Tocchet was full of praise for his team’s resilience in a challenging, back-and-forth contest.
You’re always looking for key moments for guys, and I think when you look at those key moments, the overall game we hung in there, but the key moments are what stick out to me,”
Tocchet remarked postgame.
The Canucks were also missing several key players, including defenseman Filip Hronek, but Tocchet highlighted the team’s ability to step up collectively.
“I think it was a pack mentality,” he said. “We have a lot of big guys out of our lineup. Filly (Hronek) is a big part of our lineup, but we managed to stick together, and that was huge for us tonight.”
Lankinen’s performance was particularly noteworthy, as he withstood Buffalo’s late surge and held strong in overtime to give his team the chance to win.
His calm under pressure, combined with Garland’s heroics, fueled the Canucks’ ability to capitalize in critical moments.
This win demonstrated the Canucks’ depth and resilience, proving they can rise to the challenge even with a depleted roster.
Next up, the Canucks aim to keep their hot streak alive on a 9:30 PST start time against the Detroit Red Wings.