Canadiens win season-high 4th in a row in 4-2 win over Sabres

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Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield looks to pass the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Montreal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield celebrates his goal with right wing Patrik Laine (92) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen reaches for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Montreal Canadiens, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Montreal Canadiens right wing Josh Anderson (17) celebrates his goal with right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson (78) and Montreal Canadiens right wing Brendan Gallagher (11) battle for the puck behind the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) and Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) get their sticks up during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) is pressured by Montreal Canadiens center Owen Beck (62) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48) is cross-checked by Buffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

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Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) watches the puck go wide of the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

By JOE YERDON

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The Montreal Canadiens extended their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 4-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson and Alex Newhook each scored, and Jake Evans added an empty-net goal for Montreal. Jakub Dobes made 23 saves.

Alex Tuch and Jiri Kulich scored and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 25 saves for the Sabres, who have dropped two in a row and three of the last five.

Caufield gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 1:13 of the second, but the Sabres went ahead 2-1 after Tuch and Kulich scored 1:29 apart.

Montreal made it 2-2 when Anderson scored on a 4-on-3 rush and took the lead when Newhook tipped a shot past Luukkonen with 2.6 seconds left in the period.

Evans added an empty-net goal with 1:38 left to seal the win.

Takeaways

Canadiens: Montreal beat the Sabres for the third time and can sweep the season series Monday night and continue their push in the wild-card race.

Sabres: After winning four straight and six of their past seven, the Sabres have lost two in row and remain last in the Eastern Conference.

Key moment

Newhook’s tip of a Mike Matheson shot with 2.6 seconds left in the second period gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead.

Key stat

Lane Hutson’s two assists moved him into second place in Canadiens history for most points by a rookie defenseman with 46. Chris Chelios had 64 points in 1984-85 for the top spot.

Up next

The Sabres and Canadiens meet again at Bell Center in Montreal on Monday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl