Sabres at Canucks | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

Tage Thompson spoke about turning the page quickly during his postgame press conference in Edmonton on Tuesday.

The Sabres survived a third-period comeback by the Oilers – a game that included an impactful missed icing call, the loss of starting goaltender Colten Ellis, plus the absences of two top forwards in Jason Zucker and Josh Norris – to win 4-3 in overtime.

The victory snapped an 0-3-0 skid and set them up with a chance to salvage a .500 record on their season-long, six-game road trip – but they’ll need to stack two more wins to do so.

“It’s a huge win for us,” Thompson said. “We’ve had by no means an easy season altogether, faced a lot of adversity. But I think that builds character, makes you stronger as a team. It just depends on how you face it.

“… I always talk about being even-keel, not getting too high or low. Same thing goes for after a win. We had a great game tonight. Time to turn the page – enjoy it for a little bit, but get ready for another hard game.”

Their next test comes in the form of a visit to play the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday at Rogers Arena. The Canucks could have the makings of a desperate opponent, having fallen to last place in the NHL standings following a 4-0 loss to Detroit on Monday.

The puck drops at 10 p.m. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

How to watch

TV (Buffalo broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 9:30 p.m.)

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, ESPN+ (out of market)

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

The Sabres will still be without Zucker, who is on injured reserve and considered week to week with both upper- and lower-body injuries.

All eyes will be on the statuses of Ellis and Norris when the Sabres take the ice for their morning skate in Vancouver, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST.

Ellis left Tuesday’s game in Edmonton following a high hit from Oilers forward David Tomasek. Coach Lindy Ruff confirmed postgame that the goaltender had entered concussion protocol.

Norris, meanwhile, was a late scratch after warmups due to what Ruff described as a combination of illness and soreness, adding that the soreness is unrelated to the previous upper-body injury that Norris sustained on opening night.

“We had a report he wasn’t feeling well, and then in warmup he tweaked something, and that was the point we had to take him out of the game,” Ruff said.

The Sabres signed Buffalo native Trevor Kuntar – who had been on an AHL deal with Rochester, where he co-leads the team with nine goals – to an NHL contract for the remainder of this season on Wednesday.

Kuntar was not in Rochester’s lineup for its win at Belleville on Wednesday night but would need to be recalled to play for Buffalo.

Power play heats up

The Sabres have scored a combined five power-play goals in their last three games – particularly notable against a Canucks penalty kill that ranks 30th in the NHL.

Without Zucker and Norris on Tuesday, the Sabres added Ryan McLeod to the top unit with Thompson, Josh Doan, Zach Benson and Rasmus Dahlin. Doan scored a pair of power-play goals – one on a deflection, the other with a between-the-legs move in front.

Dahlin has helped facilitate the scoring, with four power-play assists in the last three games.

Scouting the Canucks

Vancouver, 2-7-1 in its last 10 games, is set to receive a potential boost with the return of goaltender Thatcher Demko, who has missed the last 12 contests with a lower-body injury.

While the Canucks have allowed the most high-danger scoring chances in the NHL (100, according to Stathletes), Demko has shown the ability to cover for mistakes while in net. The two-time All-Star has saved 4.6 goals above expected, a drastically improved mark compared to backup Kevin Lankinen (-8.7).

Still, Vancouver will be looking to clean up other areas of concern - including its power play, currently mired in a six-game drought without a goal (0-for-21).

Defenseman Quinn Hughes – the focus of trade rumors – is tied for the Canucks team lead with 22 points alongside forward Elias Pettersson.