Sabres 3, Canadiens 1
Ryan Miller turned aside 40 shots to outduel Carey Price and lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-1 victory over the host Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Miller was sensational from start to finish, and has allowed only 19 goals in his last 11 games against the Canadiens.
Price, who made 20 saves, was denied his 100th career victory for the third consecutive game.
With the score tied 1-1, the Sabres stunned the Bell Centre crowd by scoring the go-ahead goal with 2.8 seconds left in the second period. Thomas Vanek completed a three-way passing play off an offensive zone faceoff, slapping the puck past Price's left shoulder.
The Canadiens pressed for the equalizer, but Miller turned aside two chances from point-blank range midway through the third period and another two on a Montreal power play moments later. Christian Ehrhoff iced it with an empty netter from deep in his own zone in the final minute.
Buffalo overcame a rash of turnovers early in the first, and Miller bailed them out with several big saves as the Sabres went into the intermission tied 0-0 despite being outshot 14-3.
The Sabres' luck ran out 2:08 into the second period as Raphael Diaz took a pass from Max Pacioretty and waited Miller out before sliding the puck past his outstretched glove for his first career NHL goal. That ended Miller's shutout streak against Montreal at more than 137 minutes.
Drew Stafford helped Buffalo draw even just over 10 minutes later, ragging the puck the length of the ice before flicking it toward the net. The puck caromed off Price from a bad angle and directly onto the stick of Jordan Leopold, who fired it past the Montreal netminder from close range.