A look at some of the analytics from the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres.

Welcome to this edition of the Vancouver Canucks post-game analytics report. This recurring deep dive breaks down the analytics behind each Canucks game as recorded by Natural Stat Trick. In this article, we look back on Vancouver's most recent 4-3 overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres. 

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The Canucks came out on the wrong side of the analytics battle in this game, in large part because they spent most of the third period defending a lead. The Sabres won the even-strength scoring chances battle 20-12 while also creating 11 even-strength high-danger chances compared to Vancouver's six. While Buffalo did win the analytics battle, in the end, the Canucks were able to control possession in overtime, which is why they skated away with a victory. 

The heatmap is concerning, as the Sabres generated many shots from right outside the crease. While Vancouver did a good job of keeping the "guts of the ice" relatively clean, Buffalo was able to score twice from in tight, with Kevin Lankinen facing nine high-danger shots in total. If anything, the heatmap shows just how strong Lankinen was in this game, as he was one of the main reasons the Canucks defeated the Sabres. 

With Filip Hronek out of the lineup, one defenceman who stepped up in a big way was Tyler Myers. During Myers' 15:24 of even-strength ice time, Vancouver held an 11-7 shots advantage while also outscoring Buffalo 2-0. In the end, Myers looked comfortable beside Quinn Hughes, which could be a permanent pairing until Hronek returns from injury. 

Lastly, Friday can best be described as the Conor Garland show. The Canucks right-winger scored twice, including the overtime winner, recorded six shots, blocked a shot and finished with a 3-2 even-strength high-danger chances advantage. Garland continues to be one of Vancouver's best players this season as he once again stepped up in a massive way to lead his team to victory.