Pacioretty's goal lifts Canadiens by Sabres in OT
MONTREAL -- Max Pacioretty scored at 3:08 of overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at Bell Centre.
Andrew Shaw scored for the Canadiens (8-9-1) and Charlie Lindgren made 34 saves. Montreal improved to 7-3 in its past 10 games.
Ryan O'Reilly scored for the Sabres (5-9-3) and Chad Johnson made 27 saves as Buffalo lost for the second straight night. The Sabres were beaten 4-1 to the Florida Panthers at home Friday.
Pacioretty broke in alone from the Buffalo blue line and deked to his backhand for the winner, his seventh goal of the season.
Shaw tied the score 61 seconds into the third period on the power play when he tipped a shot by Jonathan Drouin. Buffalo's Jack Eichel was in the penalty box for slashing.
O'Reilly gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead with 5.7 seconds left in the first period on the power play.
Sabres forwards Evander Kane and Kyle Okposo jammed the Montreal net in pursuit of a loose puck by Lindgren's right pad at the left post. When the puck wound up behind the Canadiens' goal, O’Reilly brought it out the other side and put it into the top of the net for his sixth goal of the season.
NOTES: The Canadiens announced during the game that G Al Montoya is out indefinitely with a concussion. ... Monteral G Carey Price missed his fifth game with a lower body injury and was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 3. ... Canadiens starter Charlie Lindgren was backed up Zach Fucale, who was called up from the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League on Friday. ... The Canadiens scratched D Brandon Davidson and C Torrey Mitchell. ... Sabres D Josh Gorges returned to the lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. D Victor Antipin came out of the lineup. ... The Sabres were without LW Evan Rodrigues (hand), D Zach Bogosian (lower body), C Jacob Josefson (lower body), RW Justin Bailey (lower body), D Matt Tenk and D Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body). ... C Seth Griffith was scratched for the Sabres.