The Montreal Canadiens were able to get the win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night by a final score of 4-3. However, it wasn't easy, as they needed all of regulation, overtime, and a shootout to get the two points.
It was fairly even between the two teams, as the Sabres would score first before the Canadiens scored three straight. They took a 3-1 lead into the third period, but Buffalo scored two goals in the period, only about a minute apart, to tie it up and eventually head to overtime.
Neither team could break the tie in overtime and in the shootout, it was all Montreal, as they scored on all three of their attempts. When looking back at this game, these were three key factors that propelled the Canadiens to the win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Penalty Kill
The Montreal Canadiens did themselves no favors in this game in terms of penalties, and the Sabres would end up with five power-play chances. However, the Canadiens did not allow a single power-play goal in this game, and this was a major factor in the outcome.
While the Sabres are one of the worst power play units in the league, currently ranked 29th at 11.1%, the Canadiens have made notable improvements on their penalty kill over the past two games. They have now killed nine straight power-play chances over the past two games after allowing five power-play goals in the three games prior to that.
It was going to take some time for the Canadiens' penalty kill with Derek Lalonde taking over that unit but it looks like things might start clicking now.
Jacob Fowler is incredible in the shootout
For the second straight game, Jacob Fowler found himself needing to help the Canadiens secure the win in a shootout. While he did let in the first attempt, which was by Tage Thompson, he stopped Jack Quinn's attempt and with the Canadiens converting all three of their attempts, he didn't even need to see a third shot.
It was a little easier on Tuesday night for Fowler compared to the game on Saturday, when he had to stop six shootout attempts, but the young goalie continues to deliver in these pressure situations.
Canadiens' blueline doesn't let Sabres get many shots on net
Even though the Sabres had three goals on the night, the Canadiens' defense did a great job limiting their shots on goal. The Sabres finished the game with only 17 shots on goal, with only two in the second period and none in overtime.
When considering the Sabres had five power-play chances in this game and they were only able to muster 17 shots is pretty remarkable. One of the reasons they had limited shots was that the Canadiens were excellent at blocking shots. Their defensemen combined for seven blocked shots in this game, led by Alexandre Carrier with three.
Early in the season, there were some concerns about the defense, but with the return of Kaiden Guhle, this group has settled into some pretty good pairs that have been effective the past two games.
The Canadiens won't have time to enjoy this win as they are set to play the Washington Capitals later on Wednesday.
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