Montreal Canadiens Prevail Over Buffalo Sabres in 40th Anniversary of First Game

To the victor go the spoils, and the Canadiens had no problem playing spoiler on Friday evening. The Buffalo Sabres celebrated the start of a new 40 years exactly like they did the first time around, losing to a superior Montreal squad.

After a minimalistic celebration highlighted by 11-time Stanley Cup winner Henri Richard, the game began as a chess match and ended like something UFC President Dana White would promote. 

A rather uneventful first period was followed by a second stanza that sealed the deal for the Canadiens with goals from blue-liners Alexandre Picard and Josh Gorges.

Carey Me Home

After seeing his second win of the season squeak away from his trapper on Wednesday against the Lightning, Carey Price finally got the victory he deserved on Friday.

With 22 saves and a few steals, Price led his squad to victory against the Sabres and was elected first star of the game. 

It's no secret that Carey Price has demonstrated strong play in every game we've seen since opening day. Last night the Habs rewarded the young goaltender by keeping the game tight and capitalizing on the opportunities that were put in front of them. 

If he maintains his strong play, it will be extremely difficult for any of Montreal's opponents to figure out Carey's brainteasing puzzle. Of course, his success will also rely on his D-men's performances. 

He must continue to jump on those pesky little rebounds that so many fourth liners covet. With high efficiency face-off forwards like Gomez and Halpern, his control of the puck will not go unnoticed and unappreciated. 

By trapping whatever he sees, Price not only looks like a technically sound goaltender but he also controls the flow of the game. Whenever the going gets tough, you can count on Price to put a stop to it. Literally.

His daring escapades out of his crease seem to be long forgotten as well and he now seems to be opting for smarter plays. Choosing his moments was precisely the adjustment he needed.

Power Play That Funky Music, Gorges

Key defenseman Josh Gorges not only notched his first goal of the campaign last night, but he finally put up a power play goal on the score sheet for the Habs.

Montreal is now 1-for-12 with the extra man, and it seems like the goose egg that was haunting them for the first three games of the season is nothing but a memory.

Gorges' power play effort also saw P.K. Subban obtain his first assist of the season and given his relatively strong play, it was well-deserved. 

Even after being relegated to fourth-line duties, Benoit Pouliot kept his spot on the PP with former linemates Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, missing a few opportunities. What else is new? On a positive note, Pouliot tried using his big frame in front of the crease as a screen.

If you can't score, might as well be the NHL's version of The Annoying Orange.

Other Game Notes

• Alexandre Picard dressed instead of Ryan O'Byrne. By scoring the first goal of the game, it looks like Jacques Martin's decision for tomorrow is an easy one. Besides, O'Byrne can't get delay of game penalties from the sky boxes, unless he angrily throws his empty glass of Scotch on the ice.
• The Canadiens only had one penalty, a hooking minor by everyone's favorite underachiever, Benoit Pouliot.
• The second line still went scoreless but were much more present. Perhaps the arrival of Travis Moen is what they needed.
• Lars Eller continues his strong play, creating a few openings for his teammates and missing out on a few opportunities.

Montreal plays another division rival, the Ottawa Senators, in its second game at the Bell Center tomorrow evening. With goaltender Pascal Leclaire possibly out of the equation, will Ottawa be looking for some Kovalev magic as he returns to the Island?

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. Stay tuned to the Bleacher Report Canadiens page as we'll have our second installment of Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down on Sunday.