38-17 and still overtime: Canadiens edge Sabres 4-3 after overtime at Bell Centre

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Thirty-eight shots against seventeen. That was the shape of the night at the Bell Centre, and Montréal still needed extra time to shake Buffalo, taking it 4-3 after overtime. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves in the Sabres net and very nearly stole the game outright.

Buffalo scored first, Olen Zellweger at the three-minute mark off Mattias Samuelsson. Lane Hutson tied it at 15 from Cole Caufield, and the first period closed 1-1 after four minors, including back-to-back whistles on Zellweger at 13 and Louis Crevier at 14.

The second period belonged to Montréal. Caufield struck at 22, fed by Juraj Slafkovský, and Josh Anderson made it 3-1 at 40 off Zachary Bolduc's setup. Then the wobble: Josh Norris at 45 from Dennis Gilbert, Zellweger again at 46 from Zach Benson. Two goals in 60 seconds, 3-3, game to overtime. Anderson and Peyton Krebs took matching minors at 50, Slafkovský sat at 65 in the extra frame, and the winner finally arrived after overtime — Montréal's fourth of the night.

Hutson set the two-way standard: a goal, an assist, a plus-1 and zero penalty minutes from the blue line. Caufield matched the 1-and-1 on five shots, and Slafkovský added two assists. For Buffalo, Zellweger's brace went unrewarded, though Beck Malenstyn and Mattias Samuelsson each collected two assists, Malenstyn doing it without a shot on goal.

The special-teams ledger favoured the home side: Montréal converted 1 of 3 on the power play while Buffalo's five chances came and went without a goal. The Sabres' only lead of the night lasted from minute three to minute fifteen.

The shot counter said runaway. The scoreboard said one bounce. On this night, Montréal took the bounce.