Sabres defeat Canadiens on late Okposo goal

BUFFALO -- Kyle Okposo scored a power-play goal with 1:01 left to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center on Thursday.

Okposo's shot from above the right face-off circle gave the Sabres their only lead of the game. It was Buffalo's first win against Montreal since April 5, 2017, having lost all four games in 2017-18 (0-3-1).
"It felt like we were in control the whole game. We never broke, we just played the same way all game," Okposo said. "Three one-goal deficits didn't matter. We just stuck to our guns."
WATCH: [All Canadiens vs. Sabres highlights]
Buffalo's Sam Reinhart scored his first goal of the season to tie it 3-3 at 13:07 of the third period. Defenseman Jake McCabe sent a pass to Reinhart all alone in front of Niemi.
"They were much better than us tonight," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "In the battles along the boards, they won the majority of them, they were on the puck more often than us. At the end of the day, they were more determined. For sure, a loss like that in the last minute hurts, but we have to rebound, it's as simple as that."

Jason Pominville scored two goals, and Carter Hutton made 19 saves for the Sabres (6-4-0), who have won three games in a row. Jeff Skinner had three assists to extend his point streak to four games (four goals, four assists).
Max Domi scored two goals for the Canadiens (5-2-2), whose five-game point streak ended, and Antti Niemi made 38 saves in his first start since Oct. 15.

"[Niemi] was awesome," Domi said. "We just came up a little short, and it would have been nice to get him the win. I thought he deserved it. He's such a pro, and even when he's not playing, he's got such a presence in this locker room, and we all respect him a lot as a goalie and as a person."
Domi capitalized on a Sabres turnover to put the Canadiens ahead 1-0. He got to a loose puck after Artturi Lehkonen put pressure on defenseman Marco Scandella and cut into the right circle to beat Niemi at 1:17 of the first period.
Pominville tied the game 1-1 at 11:22 of the second period, putting a pass from Skinner into the open right side of the net.
After Jesperi Kotkaniemi negated an icing, Joel Armia took the loose puck for the wraparound to make it 2-1 Montreal at 16:08.
Pominville scored his second of the night on the power play at 17:42 when he beat Niemi short side to tie it 2-2. The goal was his 497th point with the Sabres, tying him with Thomas Vanek for 10th place in Buffalo history.

Domi gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead when he skated into the high slot and beat Hutton at 6:34 of the third. It was Montreal's first shot on goal of the period.
"It shows a lot about the group we have, the resiliency we have. Great job," Pominville said. "Special teams made a difference tonight. I think we limited them to four shots in the third period too, which is pretty good against one of the best teams in the [Eastern Conference] right now. A lot of good things."

They said it

"He was excellent for us tonight. He kept us in the game, made big saves when we needed them. There was lots of movement in front of him, and he was able to find the puck and stop it. He did his job, without question." -- Canadiens coach Claude Julien on goalie Antti Niemi
"Last year, we probably would've got in our shell and wouldn't have had a pushback ... But now it's a different team. The vibe in the room has been great since, I mean, even before training camp started. The city's been buzzing, the [Rasmus] Dahlin effect, all the new faces have been nice. It's nice to have a good start. We've got to make sure we keep the pedal down and keep it going."-- Sabres forward Jason Pominville

Need to know

Domi has four goals and three assists during a five-game point streak. … Each of the Sabres' past 23 games have ended in regulation, their longest stretch since they went 30 games from Nov. 10, 1979, through Jan. 16, 1980. … It was the first time the Sabres trailed by one goal three times in a win since Jan. 24, 2017, at the Nashville Predators.

What's next

Canadiens: At the Boston Bruins on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, CITY, TVAS, NESN, NHL.TV)
Sabres: At the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG-B, NHL.TV)