Canadiens vs. Sabres: Zachary Bolduc Wins Another Shootout After Buffalo Erases a Two-Goal Lead

Most players spend their careers chasing the big moment. Zachary Bolduc is starting to treat it like a routine errand. Twice since Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens have needed one more shootout goal, and twice Bolduc has skated in and delivered it.

Bolduc beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen through the five-hole to clinch the shootout, and the Canadiens edged the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 on Tuesday night at Bell Centre after letting a two-goal lead get away in the third period. Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield each had a goal and an assist, Juraj Slafkovsky added two assists, and Montreal went a perfect three for three in the tiebreaker.

Bad Bounces and Better Answers

Buffalo scored on the game's first shot, and it was not exactly a work of art. At 2:16, Olen Zellweger's point shot clipped Adam Engstrom's glove and dropped into the net. It was Zellweger's first goal since Buffalo acquired him from Anaheim in June.

Luukkonen kept the Sabres ahead with a lunging glove save on Josh Anderson, who was on a two-man breakaway with Chris Kreider at 11:53. But Montreal's power play eventually broke through. With Zellweger in the box for tripping, Hutson let a shot go from the point at 14:28, and it sailed over Luukkonen's left shoulder while Phillip Danault stood in his eyes.

Caufield put Montreal ahead 1:19 into the second, one-timing a Slafkovsky pass from the left dot past Luukkonen on the stick side. Then Hutson produced the highlight of the night. He stickhandled in from the blue line, drove the right side of the slot and dished a no-look backhand to Anderson, who buried it with 50 seconds left in the period for a 3-1 lead.

"Obviously he's got great feet, very deceptive," Anderson said of Hutson. "He sucks a couple of guys in there and leaves me wide open to have a free shot on net."

The Turning Point: 61 Seconds

Buffalo was playing for the second straight day after a 5-3 win over Florida on Monday, and through two periods it showed. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff did not sugarcoat it. "It seemed like we lacked a lot of playmaking and a lot of energy, and our goalie got us a point," he said.

The third period was different. At 4:24, Josh Norris let a shot go from the top of the slot that ricocheted off Engstrom's leg and in, cutting it to 3-2. Just 61 seconds later, Zellweger's shot fought through traffic and went in off Jacob Fowler's right arm, and it was 3-3. The 23-year-old defenseman had never scored twice in a game before, across 170 NHL games.

"It's pretty simple, just get to the net," Norris said. "Get dirty goals, get to the net."

Fowler took the bounces in stride. "I mean that's hockey. One night it goes in the corner and another night it hits your back and it goes in," he said.

From there, both goalies took over. Luukkonen denied Danault's tip from the goalmouth with five seconds left in regulation, and in overtime Montreal killed off a Slafkovsky holding penalty to drop Buffalo to 0 for 5 on the power play.

Bolduc Closes Again

The shootout was quick and decisive. Caufield scored, Tage Thompson answered, and Alexandre Texier scored. Jack Quinn tried to deke Fowler and could not get it done, and Bolduc slid one through Luukkonen's pads to end it. NHL.com noted the only other time the Canadiens had gone 3 for 3 to win a shootout was Nov. 25, 2022, in Chicago.

Bolduc also scored the only goal of Saturday's six-round shootout win over Detroit, so this was not a hard decision for coach Martin St. Louis. "I chose him (for the shootout) last game and he scored, it's hard not to go back to him," St. Louis said.

Star Watch

Lane Hutson: A power-play goal and a gorgeous assist in 27:07. He drove play all night.

Cole Caufield: A goal, an assist and the opening shootout goal in 19:46.

Juraj Slafkovsky: Two assists, including the feed on Caufield's goal.

Zachary Bolduc: An assist on Anderson's goal and the shootout winner. He has three goals in six games, per NHL.com.

Olen Zellweger: Two goals in 25:49. The AP noted he stepped onto Buffalo's top defense pairing with captain Rasmus Dahlin unavailable.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen: 35 saves on 38 shots. "He made some unbelievable saves," Norris said.

Jacob Fowler: 13 saves on 16 shots in his third straight start.

Stats That Matter

• 38-16: Montreal's advantage in shots on goal. Buffalo got a point while being outshot by more than 2 to 1.
• 0 for 5: Buffalo's power play, including the overtime chance. Montreal went 1 for 3.
• 61 seconds: The time it took Buffalo to turn a 3-1 deficit into a 3-3 tie.
• 3 for 3: Montreal's shootout shooters, all of them scoring.
• 15-7: Montreal's edge in blocked shots.

What It Means

Montreal improves to 3-2-1 with seven points and has won consecutive shootouts after a three-game skid. The Canadiens visit Washington on Wednesday. It was also the first meeting between these teams since Montreal knocked Buffalo out in the second round of last season's playoffs, which gives every matchup a little extra edge.

Buffalo drops to 3-3-1, also with seven points, after completing a back-to-back without Dahlin, who did not make the trip after getting hurt in Monday's game. The Sabres visit Toronto on Thursday. Ruff liked how his team finally attacked in the third. "Simple. We got some pucks, put them to the net, didn't hesitate getting them to the net, got rewarded," he said.

Closing Take

Every good baseball team has a closer, the guy everybody knows is jogging in from the bullpen in the ninth. Montreal appears to have found its shootout version. St. Louis sees a player whose whole game is growing up. "His game is much more complete, and he will always score goals if he has space and everything," the coach said. Bolduc is two for two in deciding shootout goals, and the Bell Centre is starting to expect it.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.