Hutson shines, 3 unanswered goals, and more: 3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens won 4-2 over Buffalo Sabres

The Montreal Canadiens secured a crucial 4-2 win over their Atlantic Division rivals, the Buffalo Sabres, on Saturday night at KeyBank Center. With the victory, the Habs extended their winning streak to four games, while the Sabres have now lost two in a row.

Cole Caufield (power-play goal), Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook and Jake Evans scored for the Canadiens, while Alex Tuch and Jiri Kulich found the net for the Sabres.

Here’s a look at the three key reasons why the Montreal Canadiens came out on top.

3 reasons why Montreal Canadiens won over Buffalo Sabres

#1. Solid, all-around effort

The Montreal Canadiens played a well-rounded game Saturday night. They outshot the Sabres 29-25, won more than 58% of faceoffs and took far fewer penalties — logging only 10 penalty minutes compared to Buffalo’s 24.

On special teams, Montreal’s power play went 1-for-4, while its penalty kill was a perfect 2-for-2. The Habs blocked 28 shots and capitalized on 27 giveaways by the Sabres.

Overall, they delivered a strong performance in a must-win game to keep their Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive.

#2. Three unanswered goals

The Montreal Canadiens midway through the second period after allowing two goals in a span of about 90 seconds.

But they responded in dominant fashion. Josh Anderson tied the game with his 10th goal of the season, and Alex Newhook gave Montreal the lead with his 12th.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The game-winning goal came in the final seconds of the second period during a 4-on-4 sequence. Jake Evans later added an empty-netter to complete the Canadiens' three-goal surge and secure the win.

#3. Hutson shines

Montreal blue liner Lane Hutson continues to shine, registering two assists Saturday night. He set up Newhook’s go-ahead goal and also assisted on Anderson’s game-tying tally.

The game-tying play started with Hutson leading the rush into the Sabres’ zone before dishing the puck to Christian Dvorak. Dvorak then dropped it back to Anderson, who fired it home.

Hutson’s brilliant playmaking helped shift momentum, earning him the game’s second star.

The Canadiens will have Sunday off before hosting the Sabres at Bell Centre on Monday night to close out their home-and-home series. After that, they embark on a West Coast road trip, beginning Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers.