Conor Garland capped a two-goal performance by scoring 3:59 into overtime to fuel the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.
Garland converted Brock Boeser’s backdoor feed at 5:15 of the third period to extend his point streak to a career-long seven games.
Garland then ended the game after cleaning up a loose puck in the crease following a shot by defenseman Quinn Hughes for his eighth goal of the season.
Vancouver’s Pius Suter collected a goal and an assist and Jake DeBrusk tallied for the fourth time in his last four games. Boeser notched two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves for the Canucks, who have won three of their last four games.
Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens scored two goals 99 seconds apart in the third period to forge a 3-3 tie. Defenseman Bowen Byram also tallied, Zach Benson had two assists and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 18 shots for the Sabres, who have lost two in a row.
Garland put his body on the line to help the Canucks to a 3-1 lead at the nine-minute mark of the third period. Garland went to the ice to block a slap shot from Buffalo’s Tage Thompson, setting up a breakaway that Suter converted for his eighth tally of the season.
Cozens scored twice to atone for taking two minor penalties earlier in the third period. He fired a shot from the right circle past Lankinen to halve the deficit at 13:18 and deflected Benson’s wrist shot into the net at 14:57.
Benson feathered a nifty centering feed from the right circle that Byram batted out of the air and into the net to open the scoring with 2:27 remaining in the first period.
Buffalo’s slim lead held up until DeBrusk evened it with 1:48 remaining in the second. DeBrusk cleaned up a rebound of Suter’s shot from the slot for his seventh goal of the season.
–Field Level Media
