Cole Caufield's overtime winner lifts Canadiens over Sabres
The Montreal forward extended his franchise record with his 14th regular-season overtime goal.
MONTREAL · Cole Caufield scored his second goal of the game 54 seconds into overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The winger finished a breakaway after a Buffalo three-on-one rush failed, extending his franchise record with his 14th regular-season overtime goal. Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier also scored for the Canadiens, who improved to 4-3-1. Jack Quinn, Tage Thompson and Josh Norris replied for the Sabres, who fell to 4-3-2 in their second close loss to Montreal this week.
Josh Norris gave Buffalo the lead 8:21 into the first period, scoring on a rebound after a Montreal turnover. The Canadiens tied it on their first shot of the night when Bolduc tipped in a Nick Suzuki wrist shot on the power play. Cole Caufield put Montreal ahead before the period ended, converting a chance created by Juraj Slafkovsky's forecheck behind the net. Alexandre Texier pushed the lead to 3-1 in the second period by burying a rebound at the 7:39 mark.
Jack Quinn answered for Buffalo just two minutes later, scoring a short-handed goal to cut the deficit to 3-2. Tage Thompson tied the game with 9:48 left in the third period, finishing a pass from Josh Doan at the side of the net to force overtime. The Sabres had a late power play but could not score despite sustained pressure in the Montreal zone. Jacob Fowler made 23 saves for the win in his fourth start in five games, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 30 shots for Buffalo.
Nick Suzuki extended his point streak to 10 consecutive regular-season games against the Sabres. Defenceman David Reinbacher and forward Oliver Kapanen both made their season debuts for Montreal. Reinbacher, the fifth overall pick in 2023, was playing his third NHL game. Jack Quinn scored his fifth goal of the season for Buffalo, continuing a hot streak that included a four-point game on Thursday. Up next: The Canadiens host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.
With files from The Canadian Press, Sportsnet and The Globe and Mail