First period
- The pace is a lot better than a regular fan would probably expect from a game between the last two teams in the Atlantic Division. That might be advantage Montreal with how many players have been scoring lately.
- Emil Heineman tries to land a hit on Beck Malenstyn but gets knocked hard to the ice instead.
- Garry Galley calls it a sluggish start. How to you trust the analysis of a man who can’t even judge the pace of the game correctly?
- Tage Thompson loses the puck at the blue line and is forced to take down Owen Beck.
- Cole Caufield gets a chance at the side of the net 20 seconds in. They’re not just going to pass the puck around for two minutes tonight.
- Hieneman gets an open look on a pass from Alex Newhook but misses the net. He’s getting his chances this week.
- A contrast in defenceman styles within a few shifts. David Savard collected the puck in plenty of space at the end of a long defensive-zone presence, but just flipped a backhand back to the Sabres at centre ice. Later, Hutson gets the puck near the offensive blue line, but sees Montreal is changing and has a two-on-five attach, so he curls back and gives a fresh line the chance to move up ice with possession.
- Patrik Laine sends a perfect pass to Jayden Struble at the side of the net, but the defenceman isn’t prepared for the pace and can’t deflect it in. That close to a four-game point streak for Laine.
- The Sabres have Montreal’s line hemmed for a minute, but the play is largely kept to the outside. Most of the crown groans as the puck eventually leaves the zone. One guy shouts very loudly above them all, “Shoot the puck!”
- Buffalo is getting a lot of zone time later in the period.
- The Canadiens send too many players into a battle on the boards, and Jiri Kulich has an open look as the puck comes to him in the slot. Jakub Dobes makes the save. The Habs take a penalty moments later, however.
- At one point the shots were 8-2 or something for Montreal. After Buffalo’s late push, I think they finished even. The Habs need to show more composure in their own zone after the intermission.
Second period
- The Sabres think they’ve scored 31 seconds in, but the puck went off Dobes’s glove, around to the post behind him, and bounced off the ice and back between his pads. He got lucky on that one.
- The momentum shifts as Montreal gets a power play right afterward.
- Hutson breaks up a short-handed chance and quickly moves the puck up ice. Nick Suzuki gets it to Laine, who sends it across to Cole Caufield on a two-on-one to open the scoring. That’s four-game point streaks for the three forwards mentioned.
Shorthanded rush defended at one end, Lane Hutson sends it down the ice, and Patrik Laine puts it on a platter for Cole Caufield 1-0 #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 9:16 PM
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- Caufield is now almost three-quarters of the way to 40 goals and we’re almost three-quarters of the way through the season.
- Jake Evans gets stripped of the puck below his goal line and it’s in the net moments later. He’s very upset with himself as he skates to the bench following the goal from Alex Tuch.
- The Sabres are now in the lead. They moved the puck up the ice form their own zone, and no Habs player marked Kulich at the side of the net.
- Sportsnet cut to Hutson after that goal in their focus of shame that they do, but he had his man.
- Suzuki got the puck on a rebound that left Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on the wrong side of the net, but Suzuki hit him with the shot.
- Hutson leads he rush up the ice, and Christian Dvorak gets the puck across the ice to Josh Anderson. Anderson pounds it in and ties the game.
Lane Hutson takes care of the zone exit and entry himself, gets it to Dvorak, and Josh Anderson comes in as the trailer to tie the game at two for the #Habs
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 9:44 PM
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- The Canadiens now have 11 players with at least 10 goals. The next in the list is … Dvorak with six. So pretty neat that the Habs will finish the season with 11 double-digit goal-scorers.
- Hutson joins a few teammates with a four-game point of his own.
- Zach Benson hits himself in the face with his own stick, but Alexandre Carrier if off to the box for high-sticking.
- Sixteen seconds later, the Sabres get called for playing Mike Matheson’s loose stick away from him. So that situation gets evened up.
- Montreal is all over Buffalo in the four-on-four time.
- Laine leads another two-on-one while on a very brief power play. This time he shoots, but Luukkonen makes the save.
- The Sabres are trying to get back in the game by throwing their bodies around. They’ll find out that Montreal can do that, too.
- Dobes gets pulled down by Beck Malenstyn after making a save. Jayden Struble buries him into the ice behind the net. Both skaters go off, and another four-on-four spell is an advantage for Montreal.
- As I said, advantage Montreal. Alex Newhook tips Matheson’s shot in with 2.6 seconds to play. Just a three-game point streak for our February honourable mention.
Mike Matheson threads one for Alex Newhook, and the #Habs take a 3-2 lead with a buzzer beater.
— Matt Drake (@drakemt.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
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- Hutson has the secondary assist on the last two goals and started the play that became the first.
Third period
- Arber Xhekaj crumpled a man along the boards. I didn’t get the dental records to see who it was.
- Anderson goes down again, I think after a collision with Gallagher in front of the Sabres net. Some type of muscle injury it must be.
- Xhekaj tossed Krebs to the ice with one arm. Better know what you’re getting yourself into when you turn up the physicality versus this team.
- Juraj Slafkovský gets his feet taken out from under him just as he’s about to collect the puck along the boards., but no call is made.
- Montreal has really clamped down defensively. Buffalo is generating very little in the offensive zone despite trailing.
- They do end up with a long shift in Montreal’s end. Xhekaj tries to end it by fighting Greenway. Greenway takes him down by pushing him on the the back of the net. They both go to the box, but the shift is brought to a premature end. Mission accomplished. And more four-on-four time.
- Evans hits the empty net, and that takes off any pressure he was feeling after that gaffe on the first Sabres goal.
- Struble shoves Greenway into the boards. Greenway gets up and has some words for … Dobes. Struble and Savard don’t like that much.
- Montreal wins 4-2. They will try to extend the winning streak to five in this rematch on Monday.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) Maybe this is why the rebuild is neverending
2) He’s battling hard out there
1) Times about a hundred
