Nick Suzuki recorded a goal and three assists for the Montreal Canadiens, who extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-3 overtime victory against the visiting Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
Mike Matheson scored the game-winner from the right side at 1:21 of the extra frame, off assists from Juraj Slafkovsky and Suzuki. Slafkovsky and Matheson each collected a goal and an assist, Cole Caufield also scored, Lane Hutson logged two assists and Sam Montembeault made 33 saves for the Canadiens.
Alex Tuch, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin scored and JJ Peterka had two assists for the Sabres, who have lost three straight (0-2-1). James Reimer made 16 saves.
Down by three after the first period, Buffalo started to push in the second period and but couldn’t convert until late in the frame.
Tuch extended his goal streak to four games, narrowing the margin to 3-1 at 18:07. Montembeault made the save on Dylan Cozens’ shot off the rush, but Tuch was there to pot the rebound at the right of the net.
Thompson pulled the Sabres within one at 3:24 of the third period with a 99 mph one-timer blast from the left side.
Dahlin scored from the left circle to tie it 3-3 at 18:59.
Caufield gave Montreal a 1-0 lead on a power play at 9:42 of the first period. Suzuki sent a pass to Caufield on the back door, where he quickly put it past the stick of a diving Reimer.
Suzuki then made it 2-0 with a short-handed tally at 11:41 of the first. Matheson collected a loose puck in the defensive zone to create a two-on-one with Suzuki, and the Canadiens captain took a feed at the top of the left circle to the faceoff dot before snapping it far side on Reimer.
Slafkovsky extended the lead to 3-0 at 13:42 of the opening frame. Slafkovsky, at the goal line to the right of the net, sent a cross-ice feed intended for Caufield on the far side, but the pass went off Buffalo defenseman Connor Clifton in front and deflected under Reimer’s right arm.
–Field Level Media
