WIN STREAK ENDS AT FIVE
Sabres edge Canadiens 2-1
It was fan appreciation night at Key Bank Center on Wednesday, and the Sabres gave their fans something to appreciate as they defeated the Canadiens 2-1.
The Sabres came into the game with more losses than wins at home, but solid goaltending from Robin Lehner — he made 31 saves — carried the day.
Montreal goalie Carey Price kept the score closer than it could have been by stopping at least four breakaways.
Sabres strike first: Buffalo took a 1-0 lead at 6:01 of the first period when Rasmus Ristolainen scored on a fluttering shot from the point. The Canadiens had a chance to tie the score midway through the period when Dwight King had an open net on a backdoor play but hit a goalpost. If King had scored, it would have been his first point in 15 games since he joined the Canadiens. Alex Radulov had a breakaway with 4:43 to play, but Lehner made the save.
Ennis ups the ante: Canadiens defenceman Nikita Nesterov was late arriving at the party as Tyler Ennis gave Buffalo a 2-0 lead at 11:35 0f the second period. There were four Canadiens in front of the net, but it was the 5-foot-9 Ennis who reached the loose puck after Evander Kane threw it in front.
Ennis had a chance for a second goal, but Price stopped him on a breakaway with 3:30 to play in the second period.
The Sabres took the momentum away from the Canadiens with a seven-shot flurry, which concluded with Ennis’s goal. The Canadiens went from outshooting the Sabres 20-12 at the midway point in the period to the Sabres holding a 2423 advantage after 40 minutes.
Getting one back: Tomas Plekanec ended Lehner’s hopes for a shutout when he scored Montreal’s first goal at the 46-second mark of the third period. Plekanec’s 10th goal of the season was the culmination of a play that saw Paul Byron enter the zone and find Radulov, who then set up Plekanec.
Playoff tickets on sale: The general sale for first-round playoff tickets will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Tickets will be available only through canadiens.com. Fans can enter a virtual waiting room at 6:30 p.m. While the schedule won’t be released until Sunday night, the series is expected to open at the Bell Centre on April 12, while Game 2 will be played on April 14.
The finish line: The regular season comes to an end this weekend with back-to-back games Friday at the Bell Centre against the Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet East, RDS, TSN-690 Radio) and Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings. That game will mark the Canadiens last visit to Joe Louis Arena.
Carey Price kept the score closer than it could have been by stopping at least four breakaways.