Overview
- Montreal scored three times in the third period—Juraj Slafkovsky for the lead, Hutson at 11:38 for the winner, and Jake Evans into an empty net—after Oliver Kapanen struck first.
- Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook each had two assists as the Canadiens showcased balanced offense at the Bell Centre.
- Jakub Dobes made 30 saves, while Buffalo’s Alex Lyon stopped 27 with starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen still sidelined by a lower-body injury.
- Jiri Kulich and Tyson Kozak tallied for the Sabres, and special teams were quiet with both teams going 0-for-1 on the power play.
- The victory put Montreal at 5-2-0 and dropped Buffalo to 2-4-0; the Canadiens visit Calgary on Wednesday and the Sabres host Detroit.