Sabres Fall to Canadiens After Late Comeback Effort

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night. The game at Bell Centre saw the Sabres mount a late comeback, scoring three goals after trailing 3-0, but ultimately fell short as Mike Matheson netted the game-winner just over a minute into overtime.

Buffalo entered the match hoping to remedy their recent slump, having dropped two consecutive games. They came off a hard-fought 4-3 overtime defeat at home to Montreal just days prior, in which Montreal capitalized on several power play opportunities. The Sabres aimed to increase their playoff hopes with a win against their rival Canadiens.

The scoring opened early for the Canadiens with a flurry of special teams goals. Cole Caufield put Montreal on the board at 10:18 in the first period with a power play goal. Nick Suzuki followed suit with a shorthanded effort shortly after, taking advantage of a Buffalo turnover. Juraj Slafkovsky netted the third goal for Montreal, again on the power play, giving the Canadiens a commanding lead.

“Our special teams were not good enough tonight. We put ourselves in a tough spot early on,” said Sabres’ captain Alex Tuch. “We battled back and showed resilience, but we need to find a way to prevent those early mistakes.”

Buffalo steered the momentum in the second period, outshooting Montreal 14-6 and finally breaking through with Alex Tuch’s goal, extending his point streak to four games. The play started with a stretch pass from defenseman Dennis Gilbert to Dylan Cozens, who set up Tuch to capitalize on a rebound with 1:53 left in the period.

The Sabres continued to apply pressure into the third period. Tage Thompson scored less than four minutes in, cutting the deficit to one after finding the puck on a rebound and firing a one-timer into the net. The tying goal came with just over a minute remaining as Rasmus Dahlin scored after Buffalo pulled goalie James Reimer for an extra attacker, sending the game into overtime.

Despite Buffalo’s momentum, it was Montreal who struck first in the extra period. Matheson faked a pass and found space to score from the right circle, sealing the win for the Canadiens.

“It’s frustrating to claw back and then not be able to hold on in overtime,” said Dahlin. “We need to learn how to finish these games.”

James Reimer made 16 saves in the loss, while Montreal’s goaltender Sam Montembeault faced 36 shots, stopping 33. The Sabres went 0-for-4 on the power play, continuing a concerning trend of inefficiency with the man advantage.

The Sabres will look to rebound quickly as they return home to face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. It will be Buffalo Bills Night at KeyBank Center, where fans will receive “Squish the Fish” rally towels. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.