Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Match Player Stats On Dec 09, 2023

Cayden Primeau made a career-high 46 saves and stopped two of four attempts in the shootout to help the visiting Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Jayden Struble scored his first NHL goal and Nick Suzuki also scored for the Canadiens, who had lost three of four.

Juraj Slafkovsky scored the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout, after teammates Cole Caufield and Jesse Ylonen scored earlier in the shootout. Victor Olofsson and Owen Power tallied in the shootout for Buffalo, but Primeau made the save on JJ Peterka, setting the stage for Slafkovsky.

Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored, and Devon Levi made 29 saves for the Sabres, who have dropped five of six.

Buffalo trailed 2-0 to start the third period but cut it to 2-1 at 1:06 when Skinner received a pass from Tage Thompson in the slot and scored his 12th goal of the season.

Buffalo tied it 2-2 at 6:36 when Connor Clifton stole the puck in the Montreal zone. His shot was stopped by Primeau, but Okposo came in behind the play and scored the rebound for the 600th point of his career.

The Canadiens scored two goals 14 seconds apart in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.

Playing in his ninth NHL game, Struble scored during 4-on-4 play on a redirection as he cut to the net, giving the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at 12:59.

Suzuki made it 2-0 at 13:13 after teammate Sean Monahan won the faceoff at center ice. The puck went back to Suzuki, and he carried it through all three zones before scoring with a wrist shot from the inside edge of the right circle.

The Sabres couldn't take advantage of a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 35 seconds late in the first period and they went 0-for-5 with the man advantage overall.

Primeau made 17 saves and helped kill three penalties in the scoreless first period.

Levi stretched out his left pad to make a save on Caufield off a 2-on-1 break at 9:27 of the third period to keep the score tied.

Montreal forward Tanner Pearson did not return after he was hit in the hand with a shot in the first period.

Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin returned after missing the 3-1 victory in Boston on Thursday with a lower-body injury.

--Field Level Media