Buffalo-Montreal: Sabres Edge Canadiens 3-2 As Miller and Connolly Stay Hot

Yes, the Sabres have been playing better lately. Yes, they just returned from a long six-game road trip with a 3-3 record. And yes, the Sabres had just thrashed their rival Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0 two nights before.

Still, there was an uneasy sense in Sabretown that maybe it was just an illusion. Maybe the Sabres would revert to their maddeningly inconsistent and uninspired play of last December. Friday night, Buffalo was facing a stern test.

The Montreal Canadiens were coming to town, the storied bleu, blanc, et rouge. These Habs were the real deal, in fourth place in the NHL conference. Virtually, the entire NHL All-Star starting lineup were Canadiens. If the Sabres could beat these guys, maybe Buffalo's rising playoff hopes weren't so far-fetched.

Game on!

It didn't look so good at the start, as the Canadiens peppered Ryan Miller with shots. The Sabres' few chances were either blocked or missed the net. At the end of the first period, Buffalo had been out-shot 15-5.  

If you're a Sabre fan, getting out-shot is not such a big surprise, as Buffalo's defensive strategy is to collapse in front of Miller, giving up the perimeter shots. But the problem with this game was that Buffalo was also getting outplayed.

Just 27 seconds after the puck dropped to start the second period, everything changed. Jaro Spacek jumped into a rush a unleashed a blistering slap shot just inside the Montreal blue line.  

The puck ticked off the Canadiens defenseman's stick, altering its trajectory just enough to handcuff Montreal goalie Carey Price, and tucking inside the far post for a 1-0 Buffalo lead.

The goal seemed to energize the Sabres and they began to put pressure on the Canadiens. But with the period halfway gone, Adam Mair was called for tripping.  

Canadiens Captain Saku Koivu pounced on a loose puck in the corner to Miller's left and in two quick strides was in front of the net, jamming the puck at Miller's pads. Somehow it squeezed through and Montreal had tied the score.

Mair came out of the box like a man on a mission to atone for his misplay. He began to play like Pat Kaleta, hitting every red jersey in his path.  

His efforts paid off when he and Matt Ellis knocked Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon off the puck behind the Montreal net and passed the puck out to Nathan Paetsch who snapped a one-timer over price's shoulder for a 2-1 lead.

Paetsch, who has been playing defense, was pressed into service to add a physical presence on the forward line in place of Paul Gaustadt, injured in the Maple Leaf game and thought to be out for several more games.

The third period started and Buffalo continued to hold their own, but it was clear Montreal was ratcheting up their physical play, taking runs at Numminen, and Kaleta.

Steve Begin drilled Ales Kotalik in the back with a vicious hit and while fans booed that no penalty had been called, Tim Connolly took off into the Montreal zone in pursuit of the puck.

He pressured Mike Komisarek, the Canadiens d-man, who attempted to pass the puck off the boards behind the net. But his pass took a funny bounce and ricocheted off the side of the Montreal net and out in front.  

Connolly accelerated, picked up the loose puck, and flashed across the goal mouth. Price committed, Connolly held the puck a second longer, and fired it into the open net for his ninth goal in the last nine games. Buffalo was up 3-1 and believing.

With a two-goal lead, the Sabres tightened up, forechecking only one man, and changing lines every 30 seconds. For 10 minutes, Montreal was unable to penetrate the defensive-minded Sabres.

But as always seems to be the case, with three and a half minutes left, Sergei Kostitsyn pounced on a loose puck behind the Sabre net and passed out to a wide-open Roma Hamrlik. 20 feet in front of Miller.  

Hamrlik measured his shot and fired a beauty just under the cross-bar above Miller's glove. The Sabres still led by one, but there was plenty of time left and Montreal was coming hard.

With two minutes to go, Kovalev, the MVP of the All-Star game, committed an obvious slash and was sent to the box. The Canadiens would be short-handed for the rest of the game.

One would think the Sabres could rag the puck and use up the clock to cement their win but instead they attacked. Shockingly, Craig Rivet's pass was blocked and the puck passed to a streaking Max Lapierre.  

But fortune smiled and Lapierre lost his balance and was unable to regain it, sliding on his belly towards Miller who turned his weak shot away.

With inside 9.4 seconds remaining, Miller was forced to freeze the puck, resulting in one last face-off in the Sabre end. Montreal's net was empty so in spite of the penalty, there were five Canadien skaters to contest Buffalo's five.

When Buffalo won the draw and Jochen Hecht was able to fire the puck off the boards to center ice, the Sabres had won.

Yes, the were out-shot 37-22. And yes, they barely hung on at the end. But they did hang on. They did not wilt under Montreal's fiercest pressure. They worked hard and hit back.  

There is a definite buzz building with this Buffalo team, a belief that they can compete with anyone of they set their mind to it.

Notes: Koivu's goal ended Ryan Miller's shutout streak at 157 minutes, 13 seconds. Miller's previous longest scoreless stretch was 149:12 which he set earlier this season.