Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres on Jan 06, 2026. Final score: Vancouver Canucks 3, Buffalo Sabres 5.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 06, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Vancouver Canucks score | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 5 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Alex Tuch | R | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19:42 | 0.37 | 1.59 |
| 2nd | Brock Boeser | R | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18:34 | 0.34 | 1.38 |
| 3rd | Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 24:29 | 0.07 | 1.13 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Vancouver Canucks–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 02:01 | BUF | Tage Thompson | Bowen Byram, Owen Power | 5v5 | 0–1 |
| 1st 11:24 | BUF | Ryan McLeod | Alex Tuch, Mattias Samuelsson | 4v5 | 0–2 |
| 2nd 09:37 | BUF | Alex Tuch | Bowen Byram, Josh Norris | 5v5 | 0–3 |
| 3rd 06:13 | BUF | Zach Metsa | Beck Malenstyn, Jordan Greenway | 5v5 | 0–4 |
| 3rd 10:17 | VAN | Jake DeBrusk | Kiefer Sherwood, Brock Boeser | 4v5 | 1–4 |
| 3rd 15:16 | VAN | Elias Pettersson | Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek | 5v5 | 2–4 |
| 3rd 15:55 | VAN | Liam Ohgren | Marcus Pettersson, Linus Karlsson | 5v5 | 3–4 |
| 3rd 18:36 | BUF | Josh Doan | — | 5v6 | 3–5 |
Team Comparison
| Vancouver Canucks | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 5 |
| Shots on goal | 37 | 20 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 4.99 | 2.55 |
| High-danger shots | 25 | 9 |
| Corsi % | 62.8% | 37.2% |
| Power play | 1/3 | 0/1 |
| Faceoff % | 46.4% | 53.6% |
| Hits | 17 | 16 |
| Blocks | 8 | 14 |
| Giveaways | 16 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 5 |
Vancouver Canucks Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Boeser | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 18:34 | 0.34 | 1.38 |
| Jake DeBrusk | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 16:58 | 0.74 | 0.90 |
| Linus Karlsson | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 15:25 | 0.33 | 0.79 |
| Kiefer Sherwood | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 17:37 | 0.42 | 0.79 |
| Filip Hronek | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 26:20 | 0.01 | 0.79 |
| Liam Ohgren | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 13:09 | 0.22 | 0.75 |
| Elias Pettersson | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 18:41 | 0.33 | 0.70 |
| Marcus Pettersson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:37 | 0.00 | 0.64 |
| Nils Hoglander | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:53 | 0.06 | 0.15 |
| David Kampf | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:50 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| P.O Joseph | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:34 | 0.06 | 0.10 |
| Tyler Myers | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:26 | 0.03 | 0.05 |
| Aatu Räty | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:09 | 0.19 | 0.00 |
| Evander Kane | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:11 | 0.51 | -0.05 |
| Drew O'Connor | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12:23 | 0.31 | -0.05 |
| Max Sasson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14:52 | 0.15 | -0.10 |
| Zeev Buium | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 22:50 | 0.05 | -0.10 |
| Tom Willander | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:40 | 0.03 | -0.25 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Tuch | R | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 19:42 | 0.37 | 1.59 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24:29 | 0.07 | 1.13 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:36 | 0.02 | 0.94 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11:56 | 0.05 | 0.84 |
| Josh Doan | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 18:11 | 0.24 | 0.80 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:16 | 0.13 | 0.70 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14:30 | 0.15 | 0.70 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10:11 | 0.01 | 0.69 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22:09 | 0.30 | 0.64 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 18:37 | 0.55 | 0.50 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14:28 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:12 | 0.02 | 0.20 |
| Noah Ostlund | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10:59 | 0.05 | 0.10 |
| Jacob Bryson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:50 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:11 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:11 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:52 | 0.14 | 0.00 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:49 | 0.25 | -0.05 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thatcher Demko | Vancouver Canucks | 15 | 19 | 78.9% | -1.90 | L |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 34 | 37 | 91.9% | 1.24 | W |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5–3 on Jan 06, 2026.
Buffalo Sabres generated 2.55 expected goals to Vancouver Canucks's 4.99 — Vancouver Canucks owned the better of the chances but Buffalo Sabres took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Alex Tuch led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.59 on 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots on goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 34 of 37, worth 1.24 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Vancouver Canucks vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Vancouver Canucks 5–3 on Jan 06, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 5, Vancouver Canucks 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Alex Tuch led all skaters at 1.59, on 1G, 1A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 2.55 expected goals and Vancouver Canucks generated 4.99, so Vancouver Canucks created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Vancouver Canucks put 37 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 20. High-danger chances went 25 to 9.
How did the goaltenders play?
Thatcher Demko stopped 15 of 19 (-1.9 goals saved above expected); Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 34 of 37 (1.24 goals saved above expected).