MTL@BUF: Finnish them!

BUFFALO -- The Habs weren't lacking any "Finnish" in Buffalo on Friday night.

With a chance to sweep a four-game season series against the Sabres for the first time since 2013-14, it was the Canadiens' resident Finns who helped send the club back home to Montreal with a win.
Artturi Lehkonen continued his hot month of March by scoring the game-winner at 4:56 in the second -- his fifth goal in the last eight games -- and Antti Niemi did the rest, making 35 saves for his first shutout of the season.

Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher meanwhile finished things off on their own part with a pair of empty netters, following a rocky start at the KeyBank Center.
"In the first period, Nemo [Antti Niemi] was unreal, and he really kept us in it the whole game. He was our backbone, and he helped us out bigtime today," acknowledged Lehkonen, as the Habs were outshot 11-6 in a scoreless first period, but Niemi held the fort.
"I'm really happy for him," added the Piikkiö native of his countryman hailing from Vantaa, Finland. "He's been unreal for us for a long time now. He's been playing great, and today was a great example of how hard he competes and what kind of goalie he is."
Niemi had to be extra sharp during a 1:43 span near the end of the middle frame, as the Sabres fired five unanswered shots on goal while buzzing around the Canadiens net.
Then, with 11 minutes to go in regulation, he withstood a 66-second Buffalo 5-on-3.

"Our kill hasn't been stellar lately, so when you see that happen, it's a big challenge," stressed defenseman Karl Alzner, who led the team with 2:43 of shorthanded time on ice. "Tonight we were seeing the plays happen, and Nemo made the saves when he had to. That [5-on-3] was a must-kill, and we found a way to do it."
While Alzner was officially held off the scoresheet on Friday, unofficially the 29-year-old registered an assist on the ice shortly after the final horn sounded.
"I had the puck at the end of the game -- some goalies like that. [When I gave it to him] he told me [it was his first shutout in two years]," continued Alzner, as Niemi kept a clean sheet for the first time since a Dec. 22, 2015 game opposite Chicago as a member of the Dallas Stars.

"It's hard to believe, as good as a goalie as he is, for that to be the case," underlined the Burnaby, BC native. "It's nice to be a part of it, and nice to be there for him to get it, and nice for this team to have a game where we can keep pucks out of our net."
As for the principal party involved, Niemi insists he's just doing his thing.
"My confidence is there right now, and I'm playing loose and relaxed," described the 10th-year NHL vet, who has a 0.936 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average with the Habs this season.
Same story from his compatriot from across the pond.
"You always want to make progress, but now the bounces are going my way so that's a good thing," concluded Lehkonen, as the Canadiens now get set to return home and face the Washington Capitals at the Bell Centre on Saturday.