For the second straight game, the Sabres erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime. However, unlike Thursday night, Buffalo came out on the short end, losing 4-3 to the Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
In a first period when both teams had trouble putting shots on net, the Sabres managed to grab the lead at the 8:21 mark. Josh Norris flipped the puck over Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler on his second attempt to redirect Konsta Helenius’ shot-pass toward the net.
The Canadiens tied the game with their first registered shot on goal of the period, a Zachary Bolduc power-play tally at 11:45.
Montreal went ahead just over two minutes later, when Cole Caufield beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a quick shot from the side of the net.
Alexandre Texier added to the Canadiens’ lead, scoring his first of the year on a rebound at 7:39 of the second period.
Halfway through the third period, Tage Thompson drew the Sabres even with his fifth goal of the season, jamming Josh Doan’s pass into the back of the net.
The Sabres started their comeback with a shorthanded goal. Zach Benson made a great hustle play, beating the Canadiens down the ice to gather the puck deep in the Montreal end. He swiped a pass toward the net, and Jack Quinn buried the puck past Fowler to close the gap to 3-2 at 9:52.
The game stayed deadlocked for the remainder of the third. Caufield played the hero, scoring his second of the night 54 seconds into overtime after Buffalo failed to convert on a three-on-one.
Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers come to town Wednesday night to take on the Sabres at KeyBank Center.
