A newly formed first line led the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 comeback win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday at Rogers Arena.
Tage Thompson, Jiri Kulich and JJ Peterka each found the back of the net, with Peterka’s late tally proving to be the game winner. It marked the Sabres’ third win this season when trailing after two periods, and their first since Nov. 23 at San Jose.
Kulich, who tied the game 2-2 in the third period, tallied two assists on offensive-zone faceoff wins and matched a career high with three points. Peterka (1+1) and Rasmus Dahlin (0+2) also enjoyed multi-point nights.
Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves on 34 shots for his 15th win of the season.
Phillip Di Giuseppe and Elias Pettersson scored for Vancouver, while Quinn Hughes recorded an assist. Goalie Thatcher Demko stopped 23 of 26 shots.
Buffalo opted for an 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup for the third time in its last six games; Jason Zucker was scratched due to illness and Nicolas Aube-Kubel was a healthy scratch. Tyson Kozak, recalled Tuesday afternoon from AHL Rochester, entered the lineup and blocked two shots in 16:06 of ice time.