National Hockey League
Montreal 3, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, October 23, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Tom Chmielewski, Furman South
Linesmen: Mitch Hunt, Brad Kovachik
Attendance: 13507

Brendan Gallagher and Tanner Pearson each had a goal and an assist in the third period and Jake Allen made 36 saves as the visiting Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Monday night.

With the game tied 1-1 and Buffalo the offensive aggressor most of the night, Montreal managed to take the lead just 3:31 into the third. Buffalo goaltender Eric Comrie (24 saves) made a save on David Savard's up-close attempt, but the puck remained in the open for Gallagher to push in his second goal of the season.

The Canadiens extended their advantage when Gallagher set up Pearson, who had assisted on the tiebreaking goal, for a successful one-timer with 3:07 remaining in regulation. Montreal got outshot 37-27 on the night, but Allen was stout throughout.

Allen, who stopped 68 of 75 shots in his first two starts of the season, helped Montreal kill four of Buffalo's five power-play chances. The Canadiens have earned seven points in their first five games of the 2023-24 campaign.

Meanwhile, the Sabres, whose lone goal came via Jeff Skinner, are 2-for-21 with the man-advantage while going 2-4 in their first six contests.

Though Buffalo pressured right out of the gate, the Canadiens recorded the game's first goal just 2:56 into the opening period. Off a rather juicy Comrie rebound, Justin Barron drilled a shot by the screened Sabres goaltender for the first goal of the season by a Montreal defenseman.

The Sabres, though, leveled things roughly eight seconds into the night's first power play. From the bottom of the right circle, Skinner found an opening on Allen and rang the post for his third goal of the season.

Buffalo put 17 shots on net in the second period. But Allen was up to the task, even stopping three straight rapid-fire Sabres shots while the Canadiens were short-handed around the eight-minute mark of what ended up being a scoreless middle frame.

With an assist Monday, Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin has six on the season, and at least one in five consecutive games.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Montreal   Buffalo
Brendan Gallagher 2 Points Jeff Skinner 1
Brendan Gallagher 1 Goals Jeff Skinner 1
Brendan Gallagher 1 Assists Dylan Cozens 1
Tanner Pearson 1 Power Play Goals Jeff Skinner 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Jake Allen .973 Save Percentage Eric Comrie .889
Jake Allen 36 Saves Eric Comrie 24
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Montreal 27 3 1-3 4-5 10 29
Buffalo 37 1 1-5 2-3 6 26
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Ottawa. The Sabres have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Montreal will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Canadiens have a W/L % of .333 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.