Sabres engineer another comeback in OT loss to Habs

MONTREAL – Tage Thompson scored to erase yet another two-goal deficit, but the Buffalo Sabres fell 4-3 to the Montreal Canadiens in overtime at Bell Centre on Saturday.

The Sabres completed their run of four straight games against Atlantic Division opponents having taken six of eight possible points – an especially positive result considering the absence of captain Rasmus Dahlin, who missed the last three contests with an upper-body injury.

After beating Florida at home on Monday, the Sabres went 1-0-2 in a road trip that took them from Montreal to Toronto and back to Montreal. They erased two-goals deficits to force overtime in all three games.

Buffalo has now erased two-goal deficits in five games this season.

“I think we believe in this room and the guys that are in here, so when we find ourselves in situations like that it’s not time for us to fold the tent,” Thompson said. “We know we’re a group that can score and claw our way back into a game. We just don’t want to keep finding ourselves doing that.”

Jack Quinn – on the heels of a four-point performance in Toronto – ignited the Buffalo comeback with a shorthanded goal during the second period. Thompson scored the tying goal off a cross-net pass from Josh Doan with 9:48 remaining in regulation.

The Sabres could have easily left Bell Centre with two points given the opportunities they generated from that point on. Doan was turned away on a scoring chance, then the Sabres orchestrated one of their most well-executed power plays of the season late in regulation.

In overtime, Josh Norris – who’d opened the scoring in the first period – missed wide on a 3-on-1 rush. The carom sent Cole Caufield on a breakaway in the other direction, and he won the game with a high shot over Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s blocker.

“We left quite a few plays out there,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We didn’t execute. I didn’t think our passing was very sharp tonight. You get the chance on the late power play where we controlled it pretty good, missed a couple opportunities. We had the great opportunity in overtime. We could have made them pay, but instead it goes the other way and they made us.”

The Sabres controlled play early in the game. They led 1-0 on Norris’ goal and had not allowed a shot before a slashing penalty against Noah Östlund with 9:15 remaining in the first period.

Zachary Bolduc scored a deflection on the ensuing power play, then Caufield capitalized on a turnover behind the Buffalo net to put Montreal ahead less than three minutes later. Alexandre Texier scored on a rebound to make it 3-1 during the second period.

“I thought our start was good,” Thompson said. “We give them the power play, they score on it and they get a little bit of life. You can’t do that to good teams. That’s the way their big boys get going and start to feel the puck and get some confidence.”

Now nine games into the season, Ruff suggested his Sabres have another level to get to offensively. That they’ve managed to consistently collect points despite not being at their best – particularly against division opponents – is a positive sign.

“You’ve got to find ways to get points,” Ruff said. “I think the important part is we have. Six out of eight points with some personnel missing, it’s good. I still think there’s a better game out there that we’ve still got in our pocket.”

Here’s more from the game.

Quinn’s encore performance

If Thursday in Toronto was the best game in Quinn’s career, Saturday was a worthy encore.

Quinn outraced fleet-footed Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson down the ice for his shorthanded goal in the second period. Zach Benson orchestrated the play, winning a race of his own to a puck deep in the zone and sending a pass to set up Quinn’s tap-in.

But Quinn’s effort showed in both directions. He raced down the ice on a backcheck and laid out to break a 2-on-1 rush. And, in the third period, it was a dominant shift from the line of Benson, Östlund and Quinn that set the table for Thompson’s tying goal.

Quinn now has five goals this season, tied with Thompson for the team lead.

Quick hits

• Thompson’s goal was his 218th with the Sabres, moving him ahead of Jason Pominville for sole possession of 10th place on the franchise all-time list.
• After giving up Bolduc’s early power-play goal, the Sabres’ penalty kill was perfect on its final four attempts. That included nearly a minute at 5-on-3, killed by the trio of Beck Malenstyn, Owen Power and Mattias Samuelsson.
• Buffalo went 0-for-4 on the power play, but Thompson felt their last attempt late in the game was their best this season. “Just as far as puck movement and working and attacking,” he said. “I think that’s something we can build off of, but with that being said we’ve got to be a difference maker out there.”
• Jiri Kulich was back in the lineup for the Sabres and skated 13:00 with an assist on Thompson’s goal. He’d missed Thursday’s game in Toronto after being sent back to Buffalo for precautionary testing, which came back negative.

Postgame sound

Up next

The Sabres return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. Tickets are still available.

The game will be nationally televised on TNT, truTV and HBO Max with puck drop at 7:30 p.m.