What Happened
The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in a shootout Tuesday night, with Zachary Bolduc scoring the decisive goal. Montreal led by two before Buffalo scored twice in 61 seconds to tie the game 3-3 at 5:25 of the third period. Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each recorded a goal and an assist, and Josh Anderson also scored. Jacob Fowler made 14 saves for Montreal, which improved to 3-2-1 and has won two straight.
Key Details
- Bolduc scored the only shootout goal needed as Montreal won 4-3.
- Juraj Slafkovsky recorded two assists for the Canadiens.
- Olen Zellweger scored twice for Buffalo, including the game's opening goal at 2:16 of the first.
- Josh Norris also scored for the Sabres, who fell to 3-3-1.
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves for Buffalo.
- Beck Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists for the Sabres.
What It Means
The result gives Montreal a second consecutive win and a 3-2-1 record, while Buffalo sits at 3-3-1. Jacob Fowler has now started three straight games, including Saturday's 30-save shutout of Detroit, suggesting the Canadiens are leaning on him in the early season. The teams met for the first time since Montreal eliminated Buffalo in the second round of last spring's playoffs.