At the Horn | Sabres 3 - Canadiens 2

Alex Tuch scored the go-ahead goal with 1:52 remaining in the second period and the Buffalo Sabres held on in the third to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 inside Bell Centre on Wednesday.

The Sabres found themselves down 2-1 early in the second, but Jeff Skinner tallied a power-play goal to tie the score at 2-2 before Tuch took advantage of a shorthanded breakaway.

The Canadiens had an opportunity to force overtime with a power play in the final minutes of the third period, but Dylan Cozens drew a hooking penalty on Juraj Slafkovsky to set up a 4-on-4 and secure the victory.  

Zemgus Girgensons also scored for Buffalo while Henri Jokiharju, Cozens, and Tage Thompson each added an assist to extend their point streaks to three games.

Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 saves, including 11 stops in the third, to earn his 15th win of the season.

Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble recorded goals for Montreal as the Sabres held Slafkovsky, who had been riding an eight-game point streak, and Nick Suzuki, who had posted points in 10 consecutive games, off the scoresheet.

Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault stopped 20 of 23 shots.

The Sabres’ penalty kill went a perfect 4-for-4 on the night while the power-play unit finished 1-for-3.

SCORING SUMMARY

Period 1, 12:41 – Arber Xhekaj from Joshua Roy and David Savard (1-0, MTL)

Buffalo outshot Montreal 7-3 to start the game, but the Canadiens found the back of the net first. The Sabres were caught in their own end and unable to make a change when Xhekaj fired a one-timer from the left circle to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with 7:19 remaining in the first.

Period 2, 4:20 – Zemgus Girgensons from Henri Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin (1-1)

The Sabres tied the score 4:20 into the second period as Dahlin fed Jokiharju at the left point for a one-timer with Girgensons in front of the net. Girgensons tipped the puck past Montembeault to put Buffalo on the scoresheet with his fifth goal of the season.

Period 2, 6:35 – Jayden Struble from Joshua Roy and Alex Newhook (2-1, MTL)

The Canadiens answered back just over two minutes later after Newhook won the offensive zone faceoff and Struble wristed a shot through traffic that deflected off of Peyton Krebs and into the net.

Period 2, 9:28 (PP) – Jeff Skinner from Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson (2-2)

After Juraj Slafkovsky was assessed a holding penalty, the Sabres took advantage of their power-play opportunity. The Canadiens had a shorthanded rush up the ice, but Skinner tapped the puck away from Joel Armia to send the Sabres on a 3-on-1 in the opposite direction. Cozens took a shot from the right faceoff dot before Skinner buried the rebound to tie the score once again.

Period 2, 18:08 (SH) – Alex Tuch, unassisted (3-2, BUF)

Thompson went to the penalty box for tripping with 3:04 to go in the second. Zach Benson and Connor Clifton forced a turnover in the defensive zone to send Tuch on a shorthanded breakaway. Tuch beat Montembeault glove side to give the Sabres their first lead of the night.

POSTGAME COMMENTS

GAME GALLERY

UP NEXT

The Sabres conclude their two-game road swing and Dads' Trip in Columbus on Friday.

Faceoff is slated for 7 p.m. inside Nationwide Arena.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30. Fans without cable can also stream MSG on Fubo. Out-of-market fans can watch the game on NHL Network.

Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.