The hot Buffalo Sabres, in search of their fourth straight victory, will host the struggling Montreal Canadiens — who are desperate for a win — on Monday afternoon.
The Sabres followed impressive blowout wins over the Ottawa Senators and the New York Rangers with a 3-2 shootout victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
J.J. Peterka scored the game-winning shootout goal, while Tage Thompson fired home his team-leading 10th goal of the season in the victory.
Thompson has goals in three straight games and could improve his totals versus a Canadiens’ team that he has found success against in his career. The 27-year-old forward has seven goals and seven assists across 12 outings against Montreal.
Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has been pivotal to their recent success. Luukkonen has allowed just 2.25 goals per game while winning six of his past eight starts.
Head coach Lindy Ruff gave praise to his Finnish netminder following Saturday’s shootout victory.
“He’s played very well, the team play has been better and his play has been better,” Ruff said. “He’s really made key saves. You look at that overtime save he made for us, that allowed us to get the extra point.”
Another key to the Sabres’ recent success has been their special teams play. After failing to score on their first 22 power-play opportunities to start the season, Buffalo is 7 for 23 on the man advantage over their past seven games.
A win on Monday would give the Sabres their first four-game winning streak in 21 months.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Canadiens fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 on Saturday night, en route to their sixth consecutive loss (0-5-1).
One bright spot for the Canadiens has been the play of veteran winger Brendan Gallagher. The 32-year-old scored the Canadiens’ lone goal on Saturday, giving him seven on the season, and extended his goal-scoring streak to three games.
The 2010 fifth-round pick now ranks 19th all-time in the Canadiens’ goal-scoring ranks with 225 career tallies.
Canadiens’ top scorers Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki have both been held off the scoresheet in each of the past four contests.
“Some of us, myself included, are struggling to produce and find the back of the net,” Suzuki told reporters after his team’s most recent loss. “I expect better from myself, I’m sure the other guys (do) as well. We need our whole lineup to produce.”
Along with their lack of goal scoring, the Canadiens have struggled to keep the puck out of their net. They have allowed 29 goals over the past six losses and scored just 12.
The Canadiens recent string of losses seems to be taking a toll on the young squad.
“It’s not great right now. But we’re still trying to be positive right now,” forward Josh Anderson said of the team’s feelings. “Trying to still find our swagger and do the right things. Once we find one, we’ll be fine.”
The Canadiens enter the matchup in last place in the Eastern Conference and have lost the past two games against the Sabres.
–Field Level Media
