The rookie stops all 16 shots in the third period in his season debut with Vancouver.
By Kevin Woodley / NHL.com Correspondent
VANCOUVER, B.C. — Thatcher Demko made 36 saves in his season debut for the Vancouver Canucks, a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres at Rogers Arena on Friday.
Loui Eriksson gave Vancouver a 4-3 lead at 5:57 of the third period, less than a minute after Demko made saves on Evan Rodrigues’ one-timer and Vladimir Sobotka’s rebound attempt. Eriksson scored on a pass from behind the net by Josh Leivo to the top of the crease.
Demko, who was called up from Utica of the American Hockey League on Jan. 4, got his left pad on rookie Rasmus Dahlin’s one-timer on the power play with 5:35 left for one of his 16 saves in the third.
Dahlin’s point streak ended at five games, tied for longest in NHL history for an 18-year-old defenseman with Aaron Ekblad, Phil Housley and Bobby Orr.
Brock Boeser had a goal and an assist, Alexander Edler and Sven Baertschi scored, and Bo Horvat had two assists for the Canucks (22-21-6), who have a four-game point streak (2-0-2).
Rodrigues, Kyle Okposo and Sam Reinhart scored, and Linus Ullmark made 19 saves for the Sabres (24-18-6), who have one win in their past five games.
The Sabres had the first seven shots on goal, and Rodrigues gave them a 1-0 lead at 8:48 of the first with a backdoor tap-in after Rasmus Ristolainen used his skate to redirect a pass into the slot.
The Canucks got their first shot at 9:30, and Edler tied it 1-1 on their third at 12:12 with a low point shot into traffic.
Baertschi made it 2-1 on Vancouver’s next shot at 15:31, finishing a backdoor pass from Derrick Pouliot after he split the defense on a solo rush.
Okposo tied it 2-2 at 2:26 of the second period with a backhand from in close.
Boeser made it 3-2 at 8:00 on a backdoor tap-in after defenseman Lawrence Pilut’s blind backhand pass went right to Horvat between the top of the face-off circles.
Reinhart tied it 3-3 at 12:52 on a spinning backhand after being left alone in front of Demko.