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Goalie makes 46 saves in Buffalo, whereas Juraj Slafkovsky scores the successful purpose for Habs and in addition will get into his first NHL battle.
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There was motive to marvel why the Canadiens began Cayden Primeau in purpose Saturday night time in Buffalo in opposition to the Sabres.
Primeau allowed 5 objectives in his earlier begin — all excessive to the glove facet — in a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers 9 days earlier on the Bell Centre. It dropped his file this season to 2-3-0 with a 3.72 goals-against common and an .886 save share.
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There was additionally motive to marvel why the Canadiens are nonetheless carrying three goalies 27 video games into the season.
After Samuel Montembeault performed the earlier two video games — a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken and a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings — beginning Jake Allen in purpose in opposition to the Sabres and going again to Montembeault on Sunday on the Bell Centre in opposition to the Nashville Predators (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM) appeared just like the sensible transfer.
However Primeau proved head coach Martin St. Louis — and whoever else in administration was concerned within the resolution to begin him in Buffalo — proper, making 46 saves because the Canadiens beat the Sabres 3-2 in a shootout. Each objectives on Primeau had been to the blocker facet and his save share for the sport was .958.
This marked the second straight sport and the sixth time this season the Canadiens have allowed greater than 40 photographs in opposition to.
Jayden Struble and Nick Suzuki scored for the Canadiens in regulation time, whereas Cole Caufield, Jesse Ylönen and Juraj Slafkovsky scored within the four-round shootout. Ylönen scored within the third spherical to maintain the Canadiens alive (he’s now 2-for-2 this season on shootouts and 3-for-3 in his profession) earlier than Slafkovsky scored the winner.
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Jeff Skinner and Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres in regulation time, whereas Victor Olofsson and Owen Energy scored within the shootout. Primeau stopped JJ Peterka to begin the fourth spherical of the shootout, setting the stage for Slafkovsky’s game-winner with a pleasant deke to his backhand. Slafkovsky is now 1-for-2 in shootouts this season.
The Canadiens improved their file to 12-12-3, transferring two factors forward of the seventh-place Sabres (11-14-3) within the Atlantic Division standings.
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Primeau saved the Canadiens within the sport within the first interval after they had been outshot 17-7 and the Sabres went 0-for-3 on the ability play. The Sabres completed the sport 0-for-5 with the person benefit, whereas the Canadiens went 1-for-4.
Dollard-des-Ormeaux native Devon Levi was in purpose for the Sabres, taking part in for the primary time in opposition to his hometown staff. He made 29 saves.
“I needed to bounce again, not dwell on the sport an excessive amount of in opposition to Florida,” Primeau informed reporters in Buffalo after the sport. So it was good to get again there, be ok with my sport once more.”
With defenceman Arber Xhekaj now demoted to the AHL’s Laval Rocket and ahead Michael Pezzetta being made a wholesome scratch to make room for Joel Armia, the Sabres took loads of liberties in opposition to the Canadiens with out a lot worry of reprisals. The Sabres’ Eric Robinson ran Canadiens defenceman Justin Barron into the boards from behind on the 11-minute mark of the second interval, receiving a significant penalty and a sport misconduct. Kaiden Guhle tried to return to Barron’s defence and took a roughing penalty.
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Struble opened the scoring for the Canadiens 1:59 later when it was four-on-four along with his first NHL purpose on a pleasant give-and-go with fellow defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic. Suzuki put the Canadiens up 2-0 solely 14 seconds later when he took a drop cross from Mike Matheson at his personal blue line on an influence play, carried the puck into the Sabres zone after which beat Levi with a shot excessive to the blocker facet for his eighth purpose of the season. That ties the Suzuki for the staff lead in objectives with Sean Monahan.
The Sabres tied it up inside the first seven minutes of the third interval with objectives from Skinner and Okposo, following a nasty giveaway by Barron, after which a visibly upset St. Louis referred to as a timeout. On the 15:44 mark of the interval, the Sabres’ Connor Clifton appeared to stay Slafkovsky between the legs from behind after they’d a battle alongside the boards behind the Buffalo web. That resulted within the 19-year-old Slavkovsky dropping his gloves and moving into his first NHL battle.
“As quickly because it began, I blacked out and I didn’t actually take into consideration something,” Slafkovsky informed reporters in Buffalo after the sport whereas sporting a scrape underneath his left eye. “I used to be simply going ahead. My first time.”
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Christian Dvorak had an opportunity to win the sport for the Canadiens on a breakaway with 1:34 left within the third interval, however he was stopped by Levi. Twenty-eight seconds later, Dvorak — who has now gone 15 video games with out a purpose — took a tripping penalty, which means the Canadiens needed to play the final 1:06 of the third interval and the primary 54 seconds of time beyond regulation short-handed, however the Sabres couldn’t beat Primeau.
‘I believe his final begin he wasn’t too pleased with it,” St. Louis informed reporters in Buffalo after the sport when requested about Primeau. “I assumed tonight was a possibility to be ok with himself. To me it, was a bounce-forward sport — it wasn’t a bounce-back. I believe he bounced increased than the place he was earlier than his final sport. With out his play, our PK tonight, I really feel prefer it was the distinction, particularly early on within the sport.”
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Slafkovsky completed the sport with two photographs and one hit in 18:10 of ice time whereas taking part in on the primary line with Suzuki and Cole Caufield for the third straight sport.
“I really feel assured,” Slafkovsky, who has 2-5-7 totals this season, stated. “I would like the puck quite a bit. I need to make the performs. I need to discover the boys as a result of they’re discovering me and I need to be the identical as them. Taking part in with the very best gamers on the staff, I simply need to make performs as they do and do all of the stuff that they do.”
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Caufield had a team-high 9 photographs, however failed to attain for the fifth straight sport and is caught on seven objectives, which has him on tempo to complete the season with 21. Final season, Caufield scored 26 objectives in 46 video games earlier than struggling a shoulder damage that required surgical procedure. Caufield had a 16.5 taking pictures share final season, whereas his taking pictures share this season has dropped to six.8.
It appears just like the Canadiens may have extra unhealthy damage information after veteran ahead Tanner Pearson appeared to dam a shot along with his left hand throughout the first interval and he didn’t return. That’s the identical hand Pearson broke final season whereas with the Vancouver Canucks, limiting him to 14 video games. Pearson’s profession gave the impression to be in jeopardy after problems with a number of surgical procedures on his hand earlier than the Canadiens acquired him in September after the hand had lastly healed.
The Canadiens had been flying again to Montreal after the sport and it is going to be fascinating to see who begins in purpose Saturday night time in opposition to the Predators.
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