Postgame Report | Rousek records 2 points in NHL debut against Montreal

Lukas Rousek had a memorable NHL debut Monday night at KeyBank Center, recording a goal and an assist, but the Buffalo Sabres fell to the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in the shootout.
"He's got a feel for the game. Obviously, he knows us, he knows our systems, he knows what he's doing," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "He's a hockey player. (He had a) very good game."
Rousek, recalled from the Rochester Americans prior to the morning skate, scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot and added a helper in the second period to become the first Sabres player to record at least one goal and one assist in his NHL debut since Maxim Afinogenov on November 10, 1999.
"That's so exciting," defenseman Riley Stillman said. "I think it was his first shift, first shot. That's awesome. We were telling him it's an easy league, easy league for him."

Stillman, who also scored in the second period, was the one responsible for giving Rousek a lift to the rink. The rookie was ingratiated to the Sabres' dressing room with a hot lap around the rink by himself to begin warmups.

It didn't take him long to heat up once the puck dropped.
"We both scored driving to the rink together," Stillman said. "It would have been better to get a win, but I'm really proud of him and happy for him."
Stillman's goal midway through the second period gave Buffalo a 3-2 lead, but the Sabres couldn't hang on late. Brendan Gallagher scored in the third period to tie the game, forcing overtime.
But the night belonged to Rousek, even in a loss.
Players and coaches have raved about his hockey smarts and how Rousek constantly found himself in the right position. Prior to the game, the rookie called his family to tip them off that he might be in the lineup tonight.
They were watching at home when he stepped over the boards to take his first NHL shift.
"He was right there, and it doesn't go in the net if he's(not) right there," Granato said. "The second goal he was in on, a quick kick out and entry and he just drove right to the net to help create the next one."
Eric Comrie made his second-straight start for the Sabres, stopping 38 pucks, including a number of key saves in the second period and overtime. A six-round shootout ensued with Michael Pezzetta spoiling what could have been the sweetest NHL debut for Rousek.
"We're so proud of him, it's so exciting," Stillman said. "His first game, it's a special day for him."

How it happened

FIRST PERIOD
Harris scored first when he took a centering pass from below the goal and beat Comrie between the pads just 1:22 into the game.
The early lead didn't last long. Two minutes later, Rousek muscled his way into a shooting position and knocked in a loose puck at 3:49 to tie things up.

Alex Tuch, who generated three shots in the opening 20 minutes nearly put the Sabres ahead after he forced a turnover in the neutral zone. Tuch found himself on a 2-on-1 with Jeff Skinner but couldn't beat Allen with a snapshot from the left circle.
Buffalo outshot the Canadiens 13-6 in the period. Despite only having one goal to show for their effort, the Sabres earned two power plays and led Montreal 14-11 in shot attempts at 5-on-5.
SECOND PERIOD
Kyle Okposo drew a hooking penalty less than one minute into the second period to give the Sabres another chance on the power play. However, the Sabres wouldn't get a chance to take advantage of the penalty as Skinner was whistled for high-sticking on the ensuing faceoff, forcing both teams to skate 4-on-4.
Belzile put Montreal ahead 2-1 when he jumped on a loose puck and whipped it past Comrie, but once again, the Canadiens' lead was short-lived.
Peterka bounced a puck off Allen's shoulder from behind the goal line to tie the game 2-2 with a power-play goal after Mike Hoffman went off for cross-checking at 4:47.

Stillman gave the Sabres the lead at 8:31 with his first goal of the season. Stillman took a pass from Victor Olofsson as he entered the zone and moved in on Allen near the left circle. He patiently waited Allen out and shot the puck into an empty net to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead.
The goal was Stillman's first of the season and first as a member of the Sabres.

Rousek was given a secondary assist on Stillman's goal for his second point of the night.
As the period wound down, Comrie made a handful of brilliant saves on Hoffman to keep the Sabres ahead in the waning minutes and defenseman Owen Power cooly cleaned up a loose puck in the crease with less than two minutes to play.
Okposo was given a two-minute penalty for high sticking at 18:53 and Comrie made another sensational save on a scramble in front of the net in the final 30 seconds.
THIRD PERIOD
Gallagher tied the game at 3-3 when he beat Comrie with 11:25 to play.
Montreal outshot the Sabres 12-8 in the third period and 36-30 through 60 minutes.
OVERTIME
With 2:40 to play, the Canadiens went on the man advantage after Peyton Krebs was called for cross-checking. Buffalo was able to kill off the penalty and made a late push, but was unable to beat Allen.
SHOOTOUT
Comrie and Allen held strong in the first three rounds of the shootout, stopping each shooter they faced.
Jack Quinn broke through in the top of the fourth round, but Jesse Ylonen answered immediately to keep Montreal alive.
Then in the sixth round, Dylan Cozens was denied, but Pezzetta scored his first-career shootout goal on only his second attempt to give Montreal the win.

What we learned

1. Rousek entered the lineup because Tage Thompson was unable to play due to an upper-body injury. Thompson did not partake in the morning skate and is considered day to day.
   2. Rousek is the 27th player in Sabres franchise history to score a goal in their NHL debut with Buffalo. The last player to do so was Ethan Prow on December 29, 2021 against New Jersey.
   His tally also marked the 186th instance of a skater recording the first goal of their career as a member of the Sabres.
   3. The Sabres are now 1-3 in the shootout this season.

Up Next

The Sabres have three days in between games and don't play again until Friday night when they host the New York Rangers at KeyBank Center.
The game will be broadcast on MSG and WGR 550 at 7 p.m. Pregame coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now.