3 most disappointing Vancouver Canucks players from 3-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres feat. Thatcher Demko

The Vancouver Canucks lost 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, coming off a 3-2 win over Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.

Following the loss, the Canucks are 20-16-10 while the Sabres improved to 18-24-5. It marked the first of three straight games without defenseman Tyler Myers, who was suspended due to his dirty cross-check to Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard's face on Saturday.

The Sabres got on the board first, thanks to Tage Thompson, who scored his 21st goal of the season, as Buffalo led at the first intermission. But the Canucks responded early in the second through Phillip Di Giuseppe's first goal. Shortly after the midway point of the period, Elias Pettersson notched up his 11th of the season, giving the Canucks the lead.

Entering the third period, the Sabres equalized through Jiri Kulich's eighth goal, tying things up at 2-2. Not long afterward, J.J. Peterka scored the go-ahead goal, which eventually turned out to be the game-winner.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was strong for Buffalo, making 32 saves, while Thatcher Demko made 23 saves in a losing effort for the Vancouver Canucks.

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Three most disappointing Vancouver Canucks players in 3-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres

#1 Thatcher Demko

The Canucks goaltender continues to perform inconsistently since his return from the injury that kept him out of all but one postseason game last season. It has also kept him out of Training Camp, exhibition schedule and the first several weeks of the 2024-25 regular season.

While not overly tested, at least two of Buffalo's goals were of the questionable variety. Demko called himsef out in his postgame media remarks:

“I don’t think I’ve been good enough. It’s been a challenging year dating back to the summer," he said.

The Vancouver Canucks need Demko to round back into form and quickly.

#2 Filip Hronek

The Canucks defenseman, playing in the first year of the lengthy contract extension Vancouver rewarded him with, was caught out of position on Kulich's game-tying goal.

The Sabres forward was left all alone in front of Demko, but Hronek didn't notice until it was too late. It was a costly error that not only enabled the Sabres to tie the game but also set the stage for their comeback victory.

Hronek also blew a golden chance to tie the game with time ticking away in the third period, failing to get a clean shot off.

#3 Pius Suter

The usually reliable Vancouver Canucks forward was nowhere to be found on the scoresheet against the Sabres, generating zero offense and finishing with only a shot along with a pair of giveaways.