Skinner scores four goals, Sabres hand Canadiens 10th consecutive loss

MONTREAL --Jeff Skinner scored four goals, and the Buffalo Sabres extended the Montreal Canadiens' skid to 10 games with a 5-3 win at Bell Centre on Sunday.

Skinner scored his third goal at 8:16 of the third period to give the Sabres a 4-3 lead for his first NHL hat trick since Oct. 20, 2018, at the Los Angeles Kings. His fourth goal made it 5-3 at 18:14. He also had an assist for the first five-point game of his NHL career
"Anytime you contribute to the team's success, it's a good feeling," Skinner said. "That's why you play the game."
Alex Tuch had three assists, and Craig Anderson made 29 saves for Buffalo (15-24-8), which had lost three in a row.
The Canadiens (8-33-7) lost their third consecutive game under coach Martin St. Louis since he replaced Dominique Ducharme on Feb. 9.
"He's been bringing new ideas, I'm not going to name them, but I think we've been doing a good job of trying to apply it," Montreal forward Nick Suzuki said. "... As a team we've been better, we've worked hard, just the results haven't been there."

Montreal is 0-8-2 in its past 10 and 1-12-4 since Dec. 28.
"I'm so focused on the things I want to do, not the things they've been doing," St. Louis said. "I don't have enough data to really know what their bad habits are. I have a little base of information in three or four days. … It's something I've started working on, but I haven't had the opportunity to sit down with them yet to correct their bad habits."
Sam Montembeault made 27 saves for the Canadiens, who have allowed at least five goals in seven of their past eight games.
Skinner put Buffalo ahead 1-0 at 3:41 of the first period when he deflected Casey Fitzgerald's low slap shot from the point over Montembeault's left shoulder.
"[Skinner]'s deserved more goals than he has this year, which is awesome," Sabres coach Don Granato said. "He's starting to score, he's got his scoring touch back, he's got his confidence back. He actually has earned the right for more multigoal games that he hasn't been rewarded for because he's been around the net so much."

Mike Hoffman tied it 1-1 at 1:11 of the second period with a one-timer of Corey Schueneman's pass over Anderson's left shoulder. Schueneman was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League when defenseman Ben Chiarot (lower body) was placed on injured reserve before the game.
Buffalo regained the lead 2-1 at 10:15 on Skinner's second goal. Jeff Petry tied it 2-2 at 11:13 when he ended a 12-game goal drought.
Joel Armia gave Montreal a 3-2 lead at 16:09, ending an 18-game goal drought.
"They're a pretty skilled group and they transition pretty quick," Skinner said. "I mean any sort of little opportunity you give them they can come down and create an opportunity, and I think that's what was happening in the second period there for a bit and maybe sort of the last parts of the first period."

Tage Thompson scored on a power play at 18:24 to tie it 3-3, with Skinner getting the secondary assist.
"We've been watching the last couple of games, they have more jump, more energy and more life," Granato said. "So we knew we had to be ready for it. Obviously, we were at the outset. They elevated in the second period and it took us the buzzer to get through the second period, really, to regather and have a better third period for us."
NOTES:Skinner became the second player in Sabres history to score a hat trick on Super Bowl Sunday, joining Andre Savard (three goals against the Cleveland Barons on Jan. 9, 1977). He is the fifth NHL player with four goals on Super Bowl Sunday. (Frank Mahovlich for the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 12, 1969; Phil Esposito for the Boston Bruins on Jan. 14, 1973; Mario Lemieux for the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 26, 1997; Chris Kunitz for the Penguins on Feb. 3, 2013). … Tuch is the first Sabres player in 11 years to the day to assist on three goals scored by one teammate in a game. Tyler Ennis assisted on three goals scored by Drew Stafford on Feb. 13, 2011. … Canadiens goalie Andrew Hammond backed up Montembeault after he was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.