The Vancouver Canucks (16-20-5) open a six-game Eastern road trip tonight when they visit the Buffalo Sabres (21-15-4) at Key Bank Arena. Tonight’s game begins at 4 pm PT.

The Canucks have picked up points in back-to-back games, but have dropped three straight and have just one win in their last six outings.

What we know

The Vancouver Canucks held an optional skate in Buffalo this morning.

Based on yesterday’s practice, it appears the Canucks will go with a similar lineup to the one they used in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Thatcher Demko gets back in net after backing up Kevin Lankinen against the Bruins, while P-O Joseph returns to action, replacing Elias Pettersson on the blueline. Demko is looking to snap a personal four-game winless streak (0-3-1). His last victory came against the New York Islanders on December 19th.

The Canucks played well on Saturday. They outshot the Bruins 33-20 and, at 5-on-5, held a 26-19 scoring-chance edge and a 12-6 advantage in high-danger chances. However, they allowed a pair of power play goals and the 3-on-3 game winner in OT.

Elias Pettersson scored for the second time in four games, and Filip Hronek added a power play goal. Hronek logged a career-high 30:01 of ice time and became the third Canucks blueliner to crest the 30-minute mark in a game this season. Pettersson and Hronek are tied for the Canucks team lead in scoring with 25 points apiece at the midway mark of the season.

With the line of Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson on the ice at 5-on-5 against the Bruins, the Canucks held a 16-0 shot attempt advantage and a 12-0 edge in scoring chances while outshooting Boston 10-0.

With the overtime setback, the Canucks have now secured at least a point in seven of their last 10 games (5-3-2). The Canucks are 12-8-2 on the road this season and are 4-1-1 in their last six away from home.

The Opponent

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#Sabres lines/defensive pairings in morning skate: Krebs-Thompson-Doan Benson-McLeod-Quinn Zucker-Norris-Tuch Greenway-Ostlund-Malenstyn Samuelsson-Dahlin Power-Byram Bryson-Metsa UPL Ellis

3:48 PM · Jan 6, 2026

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The Sabres saw their 10-game win streak snapped with a 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. It was the team’s first setback since December 8th. Josh Doan scored his 12th goal of the season while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 saves in goal. Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn each had 10 of Buffalo’s 80 shot attempts in a losing cause.

During the 10 straight wins, the Sabres outscored opponents 35-18. They didn’t allow more than three goals in any of those victories. UPL gets the start in goal tonight.

The hot streak vaulted the Sabres above the playoff bar in the East. However, since Saturday, they have slipped out of a Wild Card spot for the time being. Buffalo is trying to put an end to a 14-year playoff drought – the longest active stretch in the NHL.

Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 20 goals and 37 points, while Alex Tuch is second with 12 goals and 32 points.

The Sabres are 12-5-2 on home ice this season and have won their last five games in front of their home fans. A huge part of their home success this season is that the Sabres have allowed a league-low six power play goals against. Their home ice penalty killing is second in the league at 88.5%. Overall on the season, they are killing penalties at 85.2% and have allowed just 16 goals while shorthanded.

News and notes

The Sabres defeated the Canucks 3-2 on December 11th in Vancouver in Quinn Hughes’ final game before being dealt to Minnesota the following day. The Canucks established a season-low for shots against in a game, outshooting Buffalo 32-15, including 12-2 in the third period.

The referees for tonight’s game are Francis St. Laurent and Mike Sullivan.

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