BUFFALO, N.Y. — Rasmus Ristolainen scored two goals, including the game-winner with 16.8 seconds left in regulation, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller played his first game back in Buffalo since being traded in February 2014, after more than 11 seasons with the Sabres.
Jake McCabe also scored for the Sabres. Jack Eichel, the 18-year-old centre Buffalo drafted with the No. 2 overall pick, had two assists and rookie goaltender Linus Ullmark made 35 saves.
Henrik Sedin and Chris Higgins scored for the Canucks in the first of a seven-game road trip. Miller made 19 saves.
Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno set up Ristolainen for a slap shot from the point that gave Buffalo the win.
Higgins tied the game at 2-2 with 9:36 left in the third period. Slicing between Buffalo’s Matt Moulson and Jake McCabe on the right side of the net, Higgins poked the puck through Ullmark’s legs for the unassisted goal, his first of the season.
After being out-shot 15-4 in the first period, the Sabres regrouped and scored twice in the first 8:10 of the second period.
McGinn positioned himself in front of the net and redirected Mark Pysyk‘s shot from the point past Miller’s stick to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead 2:18 into the period. Pysyk’s shot came off a pass from Eichel.
Ristolainen’s power-play goal put the Sabres up 2-0. With McGinn screening in front of the net, Ristolainen took a pass from Eichel at the left point and unloaded a slap shot past Miller.
The Canucks cut the lead to 2-1 with 6:27 left in the second period. Daniel Sedin collected the puck on a backhand pass from Ben Hutton along the right board and sent a cross-ice pass to his twin brother Henrik Sedin, who flipped a short shot over a sprawling Ristolainen and under Ullmark’s blocker.
Miller guided the Sabres to the Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and ’07 and won the Vezina Trophy in 2009-10. He was sent to St. Louis at the trade deadline of the 2013-14 season before signing a three-year, $18 million deal with Vancouver.
Miller received applause from the fans at First Niagara Center as he took the ice for warmups. The crowd clapped for him again when he slid across the crease to save a wrist shot from Ryan O’Reilly early in the first period.
But the biggest ovation came during a stoppage in play midway through the first period, when a one-minute video tribute to Miller was shown on the scoreboard. Fans stood and cheered for the duration of the video, and Miller skated out of the net and raised his stick to acknowledge the crowd.
NOTES: Miller beat Buffalo 5-2 in Vancouver on Jan. 30 in his only other game against his former team. He sat out with a sprained knee when the Canucks lost 6-3 at Buffalo on Feb. 26. . D Carlo Colaiacovo (upper-body injury) and D Tim Schaller were scratched for Buffalo. . The Canucks scratched RW Adam Cracknell. . The announced crowd was 19,070, Buffalo’s second sellout of the season.
