The Canucks came into tonight’s action with 68 first period goals, which is the best in the league, but they couldn’t connect for one Saturday night against Buffalo.
Patrick Kaleta fed Ville Leino a pass and just 55 seconds into the game, the Sabres had a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the ninth consecutive game in which the Sabres have scored first.
A couple of minutes later, Leino struck again, earning his sixth goal of the season.
Brad Boyes added to the scoring, putting Buffalo ahead by three against the best team in the National Hockey League.
In a goaltending rematch of the 2010 Olympic Gold Medal game, Roberto Luongo was pulled after playing just over five minutes. He allowed three goals on seven shots.
Miller’s shutout streak finally came to a halt late in the second period after David Booth shot a one time for his 12th goal of the season. Miller’s streak ended at 155:37, just 5:59 short of his all-time best.
Miller finished the night with 32 of 35 saves.
Christian Ehrhoff added the fourth Sabres goal, scoring against his former team. Buffalo went up by three with 17 minutes to go, but the Canucks didn’t give in.
Booth connected again to cut the lead to two. Former Sabre Zack Kassian earned an assist on the play.
With three minutes to go, Kassian buried his 4th of the season, bringing the Canucks back to within one.
Vancouver pulled its goalie in an effort to tie the game, but Tyler Ennis scored the empty net goal to seal the win for Buffalo.
The Sabres have gone 3-0 on the West Coast trip, allowing two goals in three games. The Sabres will now travel to Winnipeg to take on the Jets Monday night. That game is scheduled for 8 p.m. and will air on NBC.