Sabres erase multiple deficits to earn road win over Habs

MONTREAL – Tim Clifton issued an assignment to the Buffalo Sabres when he addressed the team pregame inside the Bell Centre dressing room on Wednesday.

“I want three dirty goals tonight!” Clifton, the father of Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton, exclaimed. 

The Sabres did score three goals, albeit in a variety of ways – a deflection in front from Zemgus Girgensons, a power-play rebound from Jeff Skinner, and a shorthanded breakaway from Alex Tuch. But they gutted out their 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens with a tenacity that was sure to make Clifton and the other guests traveling on the team’s Dads’ Trip proud. 

The Sabres erased two separate deficits in the win, then weathered a third-period push from the Canadiens to close out the victory.

“I think the dads and the people that mean a lot to us are here, so I think that kind of pushed it a little bit for us to do well,” Girgensons said.

Montreal outshot Buffalo 11-4 during the final 20 minutes. Henri Jokiharju twice helped prevent a goal with roughly two minutes remaining, first when he broke up a pass across the Buffalo net and then when he tied up an attempt at a rebound. Dylan Cozens won a race to a loose puck and drew a hooking call in the process to put the finishing touch on the win with 26 seconds remaining.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was stellar once again as the last line of defense, stopping 29 of 31 shots. He dropped to a split and flashed a quick glove to rob Josh Anderson on a deflection that would have tied the game midway through the third period.

“We defended well enough and then Upie saved us when we didn’t defend well enough,” Tuch said. “We knew they were going to come out and push. I don’t think our confidence in that game wavered. Even if they were able to get one, I think we were gonna be able to push back there. I thought all four lines were really doing a good job and trying to lock it down.”

The Sabres improved to 6-1 in their last seven road games, with another due up Friday in Columbus.

Here’s more from the victory.

1. Tim Clifton was among a group of guests welcomed into the dressing room pregame to read the starting lineup. Following Clifton’s speech, the guests of Skinner, Tuch, Tage Thompson, and Luukkonen took turns announcing the names of their respective starters. Watch in the video below.

2. The Sabres trailed 1-0 entering the second period after Arber Xhekaj buried a one-timer to open the scoring for the Canadiens. The line of Eric Robinson, Girgensons, and Kyle Okposo combined to tally three deflections on the shift that ended with Girgensons tipping a Jokiharju shot for the tying goal.

Jokiharju extended his point streak to three games with the assist.

3. Montreal pulled back ahead less than three minutes later with a point shot from defenseman Jayden Struble that deflected in off net-front traffic. Girgensons helped respond once again, this time in the former of a holding penalty drawn against Slafkovsky.

Skinner chased down the rebound off a Cozens shot on the ensuing power play and roofed it for his first goal since returning from injury on Jan. 23.

“Obviously I’ve been in a little bit of a slump here and sort of looking to get one and get a bounce,” Skinner said. “Fortunately I got one tonight so hopefully that can be the start of something.”

4. Skinner now has 30 points (16+14) in 17 games against Montreal as a member of the Sabres. He’s tallied 17 of those points at Bell Centre, including a four-point outing when the Sabres visited in January.

“I didn’t say anything to him, but I said it to a couple people – I go, ‘Alright, here we go, here we go, Skinny’s going to have a game today,’” Tuch said. “He was good today. I thought he played really well. I thought he got some confidence back with that goal.

“No one’s harder on himself than Jeff, honestly. He really cares about the game of hockey and how he’s playing, how the team’s doing, and each individual in this locker room.”

5. Tuch scored the winning goal shorthanded with 1:52 remaining in the second period. The play began with a turnover forced by Zach Benson in the defensive zone, after which Tuch poked the puck away from defenseman Mike Matheson and buried his wrist shot on the breakaway.

“Benny jumped him and I saw an opportunity that was going to make Matheson a little uncomfortable there and I saw it get past him, so I just went,” Tuch said.

Up next

The road trip concludes Friday in Columbus. Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. with puck drop scheduled for 7. Fans outside the Buffalo broadcast market can watch on NHL Network.

Radio coverage can be found on WGR 550.