The Montreal Canadiens managed to outlast the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in a shootout after a back-and-forth contest that saw the Sabres erase a 3-1 deficit in a frantic flurry of regulation play. Alexandre Texier delivered the deciding goal, sealing a chaotic finish after a back-and-forth contest that saw the visitors erase a 3-1 deficit in a frantic flurry of regulation play.
Early Momentum and a Third-Period Collapse
The game opened with Olen Zellweger scoring the first goal of the match for Buffalo at 3:00, assisted by Mattias Samuelsson and Beck Malenstyn. Montreal responded at 14:28 of the first period when Lane Hutson found the net on a power play, assisted by Juraj Slafkovský and Cole Caufield. The score remained 1-1 after the first period. Early in the second, Caufield scored to put the Canadiens ahead 2-1, with Slafkovský again providing the assist. Josh Anderson later extended the lead to 3-1 at 39:12, converting a pass from Hutson and Zachary Bolduc. The breathing room vanished instantly in the third. Buffalo’s Josh Norris narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 44:24 after a feed from Dennis Gilbert and Malenstyn, and Zellweger tied the match at 3-3 with his second goal of the night at 45:25, assisted by Zach Benson and Samuelsson.
D'un autre angle, s'il vous plaîtThis deserves another angle#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7XQ7HewumI
Fowler’s Milestone and Overtime Pressure
Fowler etched his name into franchise history. By starting the match, he became the fifth goaltender in Canadiens history to record more than one shutout before reaching age 22, joining a select list that includes Carey Price and Patrick Roy. At the other end, Buffalo’s Luukkonen faced heavy pressure throughout the night, notably turning away a dangerous breakaway attempt by Zachary Bolduc during the scoreless overtime period.
Slafkovský’s Heavy Workload and Discipline Woes
Juraj Slafkovský drove the Montreal attack all evening. He recorded two regulation assists, five shots on goal, and two hits over 22 minutes and 10 seconds of ice time. Montreal took six penalties, while Buffalo was whistled for four. The Canadiens capitalized once on the power play in the first period, whereas the Sabres failed to convert on several man-advantage opportunities.
Shootout Execution and Unresolved Questions
The match ended in a 3-3 draw after regulation time, pushing the teams through a scoreless overtime before the shootout settled the score. In the tiebreaker, Montreal’s Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier, and Cole Caufield all converted their attempts. Tage Thompson was the lone successful shooter for Buffalo. Jack Quinn failed to convert for the visitors. The puck dropped at 00:30 local time on the night between Saturday and Sunday.
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