3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 4-3 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres feat. Nick Suzuki

The Montreal Canadiens are heating up again at the right time, and starting to make other teams in the Atlantic Division sweat a little bit.

They won their fifth consecutive game on Monday night, beating the Buffalo Sabres by a 4-3 final score in overtime and improving to 30-26-5. The Sabres are now 24-29-6 and all but guaranteed to miss the postseason for the 14th straight season.

The opening 20 minutes of play were dominated by the Canadiens, who quickly jumped to a 3-0 lead with power-play goals from Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky; all were scored on the power-play. The Canadiens took their 3-0 lead into the first intermission.

Neither team found the back of the net in the second period until late in the frame when Alex Tuch scored his 23rd goal, setting the stage for a Sabres comeback effort.

In the third period, Tage Thompson scored for the 29th time, cutting Montreal's lead to a single goal. With goaltender James Reimer on the bench for a sixth skater, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin knotted the score, his 10th goal with 1:01 left in regulation.

But just 1:21 into overtime, Mike Matheson sent the fans at Bell Centre home happy with his fifth goal of the season:

Reimer made 16 saves in a losing effort for Buffalo, while Sam Montembeault made 33 saves on 36 shots.

3 most impressive Montreal Canadiens players from 4-3 OT win over the Buffalo Sabres

#1. Nick Suzuki

The Canadiens captain is doing just about everything possible to try and will his club into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since their Cinderella run to the Cup Final in 2021.

He registered a team-high four points on the night, scoring a goal and adding three assists while dishing out a hit.

#2. Mike Matheson

Not normally relied upon for his offense, the Canadiens defenseman not only registered an assist but also potted the game-winning goal in overtime to secure the fifth consecutive win for his team.

He also blocked four shots from the Sabres, showing his defensive prowess.

#3. Sam Montembeault

The busier of the two goaltenders, Montembeault mostly held the Sabres at bay with 33 saves on the 36 shots they fired his way.

Among his saves during the win were four saves on Dylan Cozens, six saves on J.J. Peterka, and four of five shots from Tage Thompson.