Sabres Classics: Luce, Ramsay lead victory over Montreal

Gilbert Perreault. The Aud. Rick Martin, Danny Gare, Don Luce, Craig Ramsay - tonight's "Sabres Classic" has it all.

Game 2 of the 1975 semifinals against Montreal re-airs at 8 p.m. as "Rivalry Week" continues on MSG. For those interested in the 1974-75 season, allow us to point you toward our five-part series on what was arguably the greatest team in franchise history. You can read that here.

Meanwhile, here's a brief setup of tonight's contest.

How we got here

It only took the Sabres three years to make the playoffs following their inception in 1970. Their first-ever playoff series came in spring 1973 against the Canadiens, winners of the Stanley Cup in five of the previous eight seasons.

The favorited Canadiens won that series on their way to another Stanley Cup championship, but not before the Sabres made it interesting. Buffalo pushed the series to six games (thanks in part to a memorable overtime goal from Rene Robert) before the run ended amid a loud chant of "Thank You Sabres!" by an appreciative Aud crowd.

The team took a step back in 1973-74 when the tragic death of defenseman Tim Horton compounded with an injury-shortened season for Perreault. Determined and healthy, they rebounded and finished the 1974-75 campaign tied with Montreal and Philadelphia with an NHL-best 113 points.

The Sabres opened the playoffs with the first series victory in franchise history, a five-game defeat of Chicago. That set up a rematch with Montreal, which began with a 6-5 overtime win in Game 1 at The Aud. Gare, coming off a 31-goal rookie campaign, scored the winner.

Game 2 presented an opportunity for the Sabres to head to Montreal with a 2-0 lead and a firm grip on the best-of-seven series.

The game

(SPOILERS) The 1974-75 team's depth is what made it great, and it was on full display in Game 2.

The Sabres had nine players score 20 or more goals, tied for an NHL record that still stands today. That included the three members of the French Connection; the "checking line" trio of Luce, Ramsay, and Gare; and the third-line Rick Dudley, Jim Lorentz, and Peter McNab.

So, though Robert did not dress for the game and Perreault was held off the scoresheet, the Sabres had the firepower to make up for it. Luce, Ramsay, and Gare each scored goals and Lorentz added another in a 4-2 win.

"The better the team does collectively, the better you do as an individual," Lorentz said. "I think that's what we understood and that's what made us successful."

What happened next

The Sabres beat the Canadiens in six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. There, they fell to the Philadelphia Flyers in a series that included the legendary "Fog Game" at The Aud.

Members of the 1974-75 team insist to this day that it was the best in franchise history.

"More like family, I guess, than a team," captain Jim Schoenfeld said. "So, when I think back to that 74-75 team, I think of us as such. I think it was a group of men who pulled together as a family and tried real hard to pull together to get the big prize, but just fell short."