Dahlin scores in fifth straight recreation, Sabres spoil Canucks dwelling opener

VANCOUVER — Rasmus Dahlin scored for a fifth straight recreation and likewise had an help for the Buffalo Sabres, who spoiled the Vancouver Canucks dwelling opener with a 5-1 win at Rogers Enviornment on Saturday.

Victor Olofsson had two targets and an help, Alex Tuch and Zemgus Girgensons scored, and Craig Anderson made 29 saves for the Sabres (4-1-0), who’ve received the primary three video games of a four-game street journey that can conclude on the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

“I believe it begins from exhausting work, and we actually deserve this confidence we have now proper now,” Dahlin stated. “We’re enjoying away video games, however we’re enjoying them actually, actually good and we’re actually beginning to discover our recreation. So yeah, our confidence stage is excessive proper now.”

Video: BUF@VAN: Dahlin records his 5th goal in 5 games

Conor Garland scored, and Thatcher Demko made 22 saves for the Canucks (0-4-2), who stay the NHL’s solely crew with out a win and failed for the sixth straight time to get coach Bruce Boudreau his 600th NHL victory.

“My job is to assist us discover a approach out of this,” Boudreau stated. “So I will be doing no matter I can to see what I can do to get this factor rotated. Their job ought to be, individually, ‘What can I do to show this factor round?’ That is what I would really feel in the event that they booed us off the ice like this. I might hope our pleasure kicks in.”

Dahlin put Buffalo forward 1-0 at 5:35 of the primary interval with some extent shot that deflected previous a screened Demko on the facility play. Dahlin was already the primary defenseman in NHL historical past to attain within the first 4 video games of a season and is now the primary defenseman in Sabres historical past to attain a objective in 5 straight video games.

“I am not making an attempt to consider it,” Dahlin stated. “I used to be into [the defensive] zone for 80 p.c of this recreation, however when conditions occur on the market, I attempt to rating, so it feels good when the puck goes in.”

Dahlin could downplay his scoring streak, but it surely has left a powerful impression on the remainder of the Sabres.

“He is making performs that form of jogs my memory of when Erik Karlsson was on the high of his recreation,” Anderson stated. “He was doing issues with the puck that you simply simply would not count on him to do as a result of he had that confidence, and [Dahlin] is there in his personal recreation. I am not evaluating him to Erik, however I am evaluating him to that confidence, that swagger with the puck that he has to have the ability to make these performs. He is simply enjoying free and letting his talent and talent take over proper now.”

Tuch, who screened Demko on Dahlin’s objective, made it 2-0 at 15:18. Jeff Skinner pressured a turnover within the slot that left Tuch behind the Vancouver protection for a spinning shot underneath the blocker of Demko.

Video: BUF@VAN: Tuch doubles lead with sixth goal

Tuch has scored in 4 straight video games, together with a hat trick in a 6-3 win on the Calgary Flames on Thursday, tying the longest streak of his NHL profession.

Garland reduce it to 2-1 at 13:27 of the second interval with a one-timer from the left hash marks on an influence play, however the Sabres prolonged their lead early within the third.

Olofsson completed off a 2-on-1 by one-timing a cross-ice cross from Casey Mittelstadt to make it 3-1 at 1:54. The objective got here 26 seconds after Sabres ahead Vinnie Hinostroza hit each posts on a wrist shot from the slot, which was known as a objective earlier than a video assessment confirmed the puck did not cross the objective line.

“It was good to get that fast objective straight away and kill momentum for them,” Olofsson stated. “We took over after that.”

Video: BUF@VAN: Olofsson scores in 3rd period

Gurgensons shot into an empty web at 16:31 to make it 4-1, and Olofsson beat a sprawling Demko off a cross-crease cross from Dahlin at 17:21 for the 5-1 closing.

“His talent is simply taking on,” Olofsson stated of Dahlin. “The final objective was a disgusting play by him, and he is simply taking it to a different stage this yr.”

Vancouver, which had surrendered a lead in its first 5 video games, has been outscored 13-1 within the third interval this season.

“Fairly irritating,” ahead J.T. Miller stated. “We left [Demko] out to dry there within the final 10 minutes. We had an opportunity to win going into the third. Up till the third interval, I believed we have been enjoying in a fairly good recreation. To return out and play a 3rd like that given our scenario was powerful to swallow.”

NOTES: Buffalo defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who was enjoying on the highest pairing with Dahlin, left with 2:57 remaining within the second interval after falling awkwardly within the nook checking Canucks ahead Curtis Lazar. Samuelsson was clutching his proper knee as he lay on the ice earlier than being helped off and limping to the locker room, however Buffalo coach Don Granato stated the early phrase was optimistic. “We cannot know extra clearly till tomorrow, however I used to be holding my breath like everybody else and also you’re questioning what kind of reports you are going to get, a lot happier after I heard the place he is at,” Granato stated. … Vancouver’s high defenseman, Quinn Hughes, was a late scratch and is daily with a lower-body damage. … Canucks defenseman Jack Rathbone was minus-3 in 17:55 in his season debut. … Mittelstadt had two assists in his 2 hundredth NHL recreation. … Sabres defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin had three hits and blocked three pictures in 20:37 after lacking one recreation with an undisclosed damage. … Vancouver defenseman Noah Juulsen performed 11:18 after being recalled from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League on Saturday.