Tage Thompson scored two goals and Dustin Tokarski made 25 saves to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

Cody Eakin had a goal and an assist and Kyle Okposo also scored for Buffalo, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson each added two assists.

Tokarski, pulled early in each of his two previous starts, improved his record at 4-4-2 for the season.

Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens, who fell to 1-9-1 away from Montreal this season, the worst road mark in the NHL. Sam Montembeault finished with 35 saves.

Buffalo took a 1-0 lead at the 4:08 mark of the first period when Thompson took a pass from Olofsson inside the slot and fired a wrist shot past Montembeault's blocker side.

Montreal tied it midway through the period on Anderson's fifth goal of the season. Sabres left winger Jeff Skinner whiffed trying to clear the puck from the slot in front of his goal and Anderson picked up the puck, spun and rifled a wrist shot past Tokarski's blocker side.

Buffalo regained the lead midway through the second period. Eakin one-timed a cross-ice pass from Vinnie Hinostroza into the right side of the net at the end of an odd-man break.

Montreal had an excellent chance to tie it a few minutes later when Sabres forward Brett Murray drew a four-minute minor for high-sticking Jake Evans. Instead, Buffalo increased its lead to 3-1 on a short-handed goal by Okposo, who backhanded in a rebound of his own shot at the end of a two-on-one break with Eakin at 15:45.

Thompson made it 4-1 at the 3:29 mark of the third period with his second goal of the game and 10th of the season, roofing a wrist shot from the high slot.

--Field Level Media