Zach Metsa’s first NHL goal stood as the winner as the Buffalo Sabres survived a late push from the Vancouver Canucks to earn a 5-3 victory at KeyBank Center on Tuesday.
The win was Buffalo’s 11th in the past 12 games and fifth straight on home ice.
Metsa’s goal put the Sabres up 4-0 at 6:13 of the third period. The Canucks responded with three straight goals – a power-play marker from Jake DeBrusk, followed by two scored 39 seconds apart by Elias Pettersson and Liam Ohgren – to cut the Sabres’ lead to one with 4:05 remaining.
The Sabres reasserted themselves following a timeout and effectively ended the comeback bid when Josh Doan sent a 166-foot shot into the empty net with 1:24 left to play.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 31 saves and had a shutout through two periods. His night included a six-save penalty kill when the Sabres were nursing a 1-0 lead early.
Alex Tuch led the way offensively with a goal and an assist, the latter of which set up a shorthanded goal for Ryan McLeod. Tage Thompson also scored.
Metsa scored for the first time in his 12th NHL game. The 27-year-old defenseman initially signed an AHL contract with Rochester after concluding his collegiate career with Quinnipiac in 2023. He signed his first NHL deal this past summer.
