Alex Tuch scores short-handed winner, Sabres top Canadiens 3-2
Alex Tuch scored a short-handed game-winner late in the second period as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Wednesday night at Bell Centre.
Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner also scored for Buffalo (25-27-4), while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 29 shots.
Skinner’s 27 career goals against the Canadiens are the second-most among active players against the franchise behind Alex Ovechkin (38).
Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble replied for Montreal (22-26-8), which lost a third game in a row and its fifth in six outings. Joshua Roy pitched in with two assists and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves.
Nick Suzuki was held off the scoresheet to end his 10-game point streak, while Juraj Slafkovsky’s run of eight games also came to a halt.
The Sabres jumped two points ahead of the Canadiens as both teams entered the evening with 52 points in 55 games.
Xhekaj opened the scoring 12:41 into the first period for his third of the season and second in two games. Much like his goal against Washington on Saturday, Xhekaj wound up for a one-timer from the point and blasted a feed from Roy into the top corner.
Skinner nearly got Buffalo on the board later in the period by deking out Montembeault on a wraparound, but Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson met the Sabres forward on the goal line to keep Montreal ahead in a fast-paced first period.
Girgensons eventually tied it 4:20 into the second, deflecting a point shot from Henri Jokiharju past Montembeault while standing alone in front.
Struble regained Montreal’s lead at 6:35 with a wrist shot that deflected off Sabres forward Peyton Krebs and fooled Luukkonen.
Buffalo, however, tied it up again as Skinner buried a rebound on the power play for his 18th at 9:28.
Xhekaj, doing more than contributing on the scoresheet, threw his weight around throughout the night and levelled Grigensons in open ice later in the period to bring the crowd to its feet.
The six-foot-four, 240-pound Xhekaj also got into it with six-foot-six, 231-pound Sabres forward Jordan Greenway on numerous occasions, though the two never fought.
The Sabres took their first lead of the game with Tuch scoring down a man with 1:52 left in the second after a dismal Canadiens power play that included three turnovers by Cole Caufield.
The Canadiens dominated play through most of the third, holding the Sabres without a shot in the first 12 minutes.
Roy nearly scored to tie it off giveaway as his shot squeaked through Luukkonen but just wide of the post. Anderson had another chance midway through the period with a deflection from the high slot, but Luukkonen flashed the leather to retain Buffalo’s lead.
Tage Thompson took a slashing penalty with 1:34 left to give Montreal a 6-on-4 advantage with an extra attacker.
The Canadiens, however, couldn’t sustain much zone time before Slafkovsky took a penalty for hooking with 25 seconds left.
Lineup changes
Defenceman Jordan Harris and forward Jesse Ylonen swapped into the Canadiens lineup for forward Michael Pezzetta and defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic. Harris had missed three games after sustaining a concussion against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 11. Ylonen spent to games as a healthy scratch.
For the Sabres, defenceman Kale Clague made his season debut, replacing Ryan Johnson. The 25-year-old Clague played 25 games for the Canadiens in 2021-22.
Sabres defenceman Owen Power joined his teammates for morning skate Wednesday wearing a non-contact jersey. Power, 21, sustained an injury during practice on Feb. 12 and is considered day-to-day. The 2021 No. 1 overall pick has two goals and 16 assists in 51 games this season.
Up next
Canadiens: Open a two-game road trip against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday.
Sabres: Wrap up a two-game road trip Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian flights, hospitals, border disrupted during global technology outage
A global technology outage grounded flights, disrupted hospitals and backed up border crossings in Canada on Friday, as issues persisted hours after problems with Microsoft services were said to be getting fixed.
LIVE UPDATES Here's the latest on Canadian impacts of the global IT outage
The latest developments on the Canadian impacts of the global technology outage that is causing massive disruptions to companies and services around the world.
BREAKING LCBO reaches tentative agreement to end strike, stores could reopen Tuesday
The LCBO has reached a tentative agreement with the union representing approximately 10,000 of its employees, paving the way for stores to reopen as early as Tuesday.
'Do not use homemade sunscreen,' Health Canada warns
Health Canada warned the public in an official statement Friday against homemade sunscreen after viral posts showed social media influencers creating recipes for SPF.
opinion Trump's assassination attempt not a political winner
Danger and fear are so pervasive throughout the national political ethos it is now the norm, writes Washington political columnist Eric Ham.
Saskatchewan Party nominee Meghan Mayer withdraws, apologizes for putting child in blackface
A former Saskatchewan Party nominee has apologized for putting a student in blackface.
Ontario woman says she was sold 'crumbling' house despite home inspection
As an Ontario woman put away her China dishes after Christmas Dinner in 2018, she noticed her cabinet doors refused to shut.
Cape Breton moose hunting suspended for 3 years due to 'significant' drop in population
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.
Canadian families will receive more in their next Canada Child Benefit payment. Here's why
Canadian families receiving Canada Child Benefit program payments can expect more cash in their cheques this Friday.