Risto caps off wild win

For the second time this season, the Sabres and Canadiens faced off, with Buffalo getting the win in the previous meeting at KeyBank Center. After a game that saw 11 goals scored, the Sabres pulled out a hard-fought win, 6-5, over Montreal at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. 

Rasmus Ristolainen’s blast from just inside the blue line beat Carey Price to cap off a wild night in Montreal.

“This game is going to make us tighter. We’re going to grow as a group.. This is a big two points.”- Ristolainen.

The Sabres were in the lead five different times, with Montreal bouncing back and taking the lead at one point. Phil Housley elected to pull Linus Ullmark after two periods, and the move paid off.

Buffalo also managed to kill off a pair of 5-on-3 opportunities.

“I think it’s a good job by the guys sticking with it, especially on the road. Those penalty kills were huge. I think the way we killed [them] was something our bench got a lift from.”- Jeff Skinner

The first period set the pace for this game, with six goals scored. Six minutes into the game.

Vladimir Sobotka scored two of Buffalo’s three goals, off assists from Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart, to help give the Sabres a 1-0 and 2-1 lead, but each lead was quickly erased. Conor Sheary continued his recent scoring outburst with his sixth of the year to give the Sabres a 3-2 lead before Shaw tied the game yet again for Montreal.

Despite the loss, Montreal had an ample amount of scoring opportunities, finishing with a 37-31 edge in shots on goal. 

Skinner netted a pair of goals and now has 11 on the season as Buffalo’s top line continues to be one of the hottest in the NHL.

“It was just uncharacteristic. I give our guys a lot of credit, battling through that and find a way to win. We have a very resilient group.”‘ – Phil Housley

The Sabres head home for Saturday afternoon’s game against the Vancouver Canucks, looking for their second straight win. Puck drop is set for 1 p.m. at KeyBank Center.