Canadiens goalie Carey Price blocks a shot by Sabres’ Nathan Gerbe on Tuesday night. Allen McInnis, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday’s

NHL schedule | Boone’s
Game
Blog, Quick

Hits and About last night …
| Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Brian Gionta | Brendon Nash | David Desharnais | James Wizniewski | Max Pacioretty | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance: The Canadiens blew a two-goal lead on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night before finally losing 3-2 in a shootout. Jochen Hecht scored in the 10th round of the shootout after both team missed several chances and hit about a halz dozen posts. Max Pacioretty notched his 10th goal of the season 4:54 into the game with the Canadiens on the power play. He collected a Tomas Plekanec pass in front of Sabres rookie goaltender Jhonas Enroth and roofed it over the goaltender’s shoulder. The assist was Plekanec’s 300th career point. Benoit Pouliot made it 2-0 6:28 into the second period after he was on the receiving end of a nice pass from David Desharnais.The Sabres got one back before the period was over during a power play of their own. Drew Stafford scored his 24th of the season with 2:12 to play in the period, ending Carey Price’s bid for a second straight shutout. The Sabres tied the game 6:08 into the third period when Jason Pominville redirected a pass beyond Price.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens had a power play to end regulation and beging the overtime, but came up empty.

• What It Means: Montreal’s record falls to 31-20-7 to remain at 69 points, missing out on a chance to pass the Boston Bruins for first place in the Northeast Division, which would have given them third place in the Eastern Conference.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens head to Western Canada for games against the Oilers, Flames and Canucks.

Canadiens head athletic therapist Graham Rynbend helps Michael Cammalleri (left) and Max Pacioretty off HSBC Center ice in Buffalo. Note photo at left: Pacioretty on the bench, soon to be headed off in distress himself.
Bill Wippert, NHLI via Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Tuesday’s

NHL schedule | Boone’s
Game
Blog, Quick
Hits and About last night …
| Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Scott Gomez | P.K. Subban | Jacques Martin | Carey Price | Tomas Plekanec

• At a Glance: Carnage, that’s what it was. Forget that the Canadiens lost 2-1 to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime at HSBC Arena Tuesday night, in the Habs’ second game in back-to-back matches. Forget the incredible work of Habs goalie Carey Price, and the superb play of his counterpart, Ryan Miller.

Let’s cut to the clinic: Michael Cammalleri was crosschecked into the boards by Sabres’ Mike Weber and emerged with a left shoulder injury, reported by TSN to be a probable separation that will put Cammalleri on the shelf for two weeks. Max Pacioretty was drilled in the midsection by a point shot off the stick of teammate James Wisniewski. RDS reported it to be a rib injury, and Pacioretty was taken to hospital on a stretcher, connected to intravenous fluids, said to be for observation and to ensure that Pacioretty had suffered no internal injuries.

Centre Jeff Halpern was hit twice with high checks and left the game for a bit, returning in the second but playing very little. It was later reported he had a shoulder injury. Defenceman P.K. Subban was smoked in the foot with a shot and nearly collapsed leaving the ice, but returned. Scott Gomez and Andrei Kostitsyn were both hobbled by third-period shots. Hal Gill seemed to have taken a shot off his hand in overtime but RDS colleague Renaud Lavoie reported postgame it was nothing serious. Benoit Pouliot didn’t even make the trip (smart guy!), still nursing the flu. Earlier in the day, defenceman Josh Gorges flew to Alabama where on Wednesday he will have reconstructive surgery on his right ACL, joining similarly injured Andrei Markov on the sidelines for the balance of the season.

• The Scoring: Oh right. The goals. Canadiens’ David
Desharnais opened the scoring at 5:19 of the first period, tipping in a
Roman Hamrlik shot, and Buffalo’s Tyler Ennis tied it up at 11:21 of the
second on a Sabres power play. Jason Pominville scored the winner in OT
after the Canadiens had killed a high-sticking penalty to Gomez that
spanned regulation and overtime.



• Key Moments: Injuries.
Take your pick. They hurt. Badly.



• What It Means:
Montreal’s record goes to to 25-17-4 for 54 points.

• What’s
Next: The Canadiens will lick their wounds Wednesday in Montreal,
having chartered home immediately after the game. They’re expected to
practise Thursday, then play two more in as many nights: in Ottawa
Friday vs. the Senators, and back home Saturday for the homecoming of
their former captain Saku Koivu, now skating with the Anaheim Ducks.

Canadiens’ Brian Gionta scores on Sabres’ Ryan Miller during the second period Saturday night. Peter McCabe, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Saturday’s

NHL schedule | Boone’s
Game Blog, Quick
hits and About
last night … | Stubbs on
Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Brian Gionta | Carey Price | Mathieu Darche | Jaro Spacek

• At a Glance: One night after a total no-show in Atlanta, the Canadiens came to play from the opening faceoff Saturday night against the Buffalo Sabres in a 3-1 win. Carey Price, with 34 saves, benefitted from the solid outing in front of him to post his league-leading 14th win of the season, more than he had all of last season. Ryan Miller, making his second start after missing some action with an injury, faced 20 shots in the first period and made some excellent saves before Andrei Kostitsyn scored his ninth goal of the season during a 5-on-3 power play 13:41 into the period. The Canadiens added two more in the second period thanks to captain Brian Gionta. He made it 2-0 12:26 into the period on a nice 2-on-1 rush with Kostitsyn, firing a shot past Miller after a nifty give and go. Four minutes later, Gionta scored his seventh of the season after taking a nice pass from Tomas Plekanec in the slot and ripping a shot over Miller’s blocker.
.
• Key Moments: Price’s bid for a league-leading fifth shutout of the season was ruined with about a minute left to play when Jordan Leopold scored on a wrist shot from the faceoff circle,

• What It Means: Montreal avoided losing consecutive games and improved to 15-8-1 on the season for 31 points, extending its lead over the Boston Bruins to five points. However, the Bruins do have three games in hand.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens have a few days off before their next game on Wednesday when the Edmonton Oilers come to town. The Canadiens are also in New Jersey on Thursday night. But before all that, there will be the team’s annual blood drive on Monday as well as the funeral services for former Canadiens head coach Pat Burns.

Recent history suggests the Habs are due for a win. After having won four straight, the team has gone loss-win-loss-win-loss in its last five games.

No word yet who plays goal for Buffalo against Montreal’s Carey Price. Ryan Miller, who looked excellent with 35 saves against Toronto last night upon his return from a two-game groin injury, would bring a 17-7-5 lifetime record vs. the Habs into the game.

Canadiens’ Carey Price
stops Sabres’ Thomas Vanek Friday night. Rick
Stewart, Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Friday’s
NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog, Quick hits and About
last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Benoit Pouliot | Jeff Halpern | Carey Price | Mathieu Darche

• At a Glance: The Buffalo Sabres remain winless at home this season after a 3-2 loss to the Canadiens on Friday night, the second time this season that the Canadiens have won in Buffalo. Things started off well for the Sabres, who were able to take the lead twice, but they were both short-lived as the Canadiens fired back within moments. Mike Grier made it 1-0 17:18 into the first period on an odd-man rush as the Canadiens fumbled with the puck in the offensive zone. But Jeff Halpern tied the score 1-1 18:40 into the period which was dominated by the Sabres, who outshot the Canadiens 16-10. In the second period, Jordan Leopold made it 2-1 Sabres after 9:02 played, and this time it took the Canadiens only 46 seconds to reply. Off a faceoff, Mathieu Darche fed the puck to Benoit Pouliot, who slipped it behind Patrick Lalime, who played in place of the injured Ryan Miller. Before the period was over, Pouliot made it 3-2 Montreal with a slapshot from the faceoff circle that went off the post and in behind Lalime. Carey Price, coming off two losses, made 29 saves for his seventh win of the season.

• Key Moments: Both teams failed to take advantage on the power play, with the Canadiens going 0-for-3 and the Sabres going 0-for-4.

• What It Means: The Canadiens snap a two-game losing streak with the win and improve their record to 8-4-1 for 17 points.

• What’s Next: The Ottawa Senators are at the Bell Centre on Saturday night, with a visit from another Canadian team on Tuesday when the Vancouver Canucks come to town. The week continues with a visit to Boston on Thursday and a home date with the Carolina Hurricanes next Saturday.

Preview | Matchups | Friday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s
Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs

on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Carey Price | Josh Gorges | Alexandre Picard

• At a Glance: Forty years to the day after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in the franchise’s first NHL game, the Canadiens did it again on Friday night with a 2-1 win.
And the Canadiens can thank their defencemen for this one as they accounted for all the offence and did a good job limiting Buffalo’s chances.
Alexandre Picard, who was a healthy scratch on Wednesday night, scored the first goal of the game when his shot from the corner went off a Sabres defenceman and sliped beyond Ryan Miller.
Josh Gorges made it 2-0 in the second period with Montreal first power-play goal of the season. His shot from the point changed direction in front of Miller and rang off the post and into the net.
Derek Roy, who has a knack for scoring against the Canadiens, scored his fifth of the season in the third period to make it 2-1. Roy took advantage of a scramble in front of Carey Price’s net that left Price tangled with several players. Roy missed his first chance, but roofed his second shot.
Price stopped 22 of 23 Buffalo shots, while Miller was beat twice on 28 shots.

• Key Moments: The Montreal power play finally came to life with the Gorges goal and that was the difference in this game. The Canadiens were 1-for-3 on the night, while the Sabres were blanked on their only power play.

• What It Means: With the win, Montreal’s record improves to 2-1-1 for five points, three behind the surprising Maple Leafs, who are in first place in the Northeast division with a 4-0 record.

• What’s Next: Montreal is right back at it Saturday night when the Ottawa Senators visit the Bell Centre. The Canadiens will then have a few days off before Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils come to town.

Habs goalie Jaro Halak foils Buffalo’s Raffi Torres with Canadiens defenceman Andrei Markov helping out.
François Lacasse, NHLI via Getty Images

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Dominic Moore | Ryan O’Byrne | Jaro Halak | Tom Pyatt 

Boone: About last night …

PAT HICKEY The Gazette

The Canadiens received some outstanding goaltending from an expected source. And they received some scoring from some unexpected sources.

The result was a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night to move the Canadiens one step closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Jaroslav Halak provided the goaltending as he made 29 saves for his second consecutive shutout. Halak, who extended his shutout streak to 144 minutes and one second, made 35 saves Friday night as the Canadiens beat the Flyers 1-0 in Philadelphia.

The Canadiens’ goals were supplied by Ryan O’Bryne, Tom Pyatt and Sergei
Kostitsyn.

The win gave the sixth-place Canadiens 86 points and
they remained two points up on Boston, which has a game in hand. They
moved four points ahead of Philadelphia and  the New York Rangers, who
are currently tied for the final playoff spot.

O’Byrne, who nearly
scored early in the  game, was pointed in the right direction when he
opened the scoring at 12:03 of the first period with a shot from the
point which fooled Ryan Miller. It was not only O’Byrne’s first goal
this season; it was first goal since March 3, 2008.

Pyatt notched
his second goal of the season when he converted a rebound of a shot by
Maxim Lapierre at 2:41 of the second period.

Kostitsyn wrapped up
the scoring with a goal at 6:37 of the third period. He missed the
Philadelphia game Friday with a lower-body injury but looked healthy
last night as he collected a goal and an assist. 

Canadiens defenceman Ryan O’Byrne celebrates his first goal in 25 months. He’s greeted by forward Travis Moen.
François Lacasse, NHLI via Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Saturday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog | Stubbs on Twitter

• At a Glance: Now this is a perfect weekend: the Canadiens won their second game in as many nights and goaltender Jaroslav Halak earned two straight shutouts. Montreal whitewashed the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 at the Bell Centre Saturday, 24 hours after having scored a 1-0 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia. This time, Halak made 29 saves to run his streak of shutout goaltending to 144:01. Canadiens defenceman Ryan O’Byrne nearly scored on his own net early in the first period, took a roughing penalty a few minutes later, then at 12:03 scored his first goal of the season – and his first in 25 months to the day – on a redirected snap shot from the point. Tom Pyatt got his second of the season at 2:41 of the second, converting the rebound of a Maxim Lapierre shot; that was something coach Jacques Martin has been wanting to see more of from his team. Then in the third period, Sergei Kostitsyn finished off a fine play with Dominic Moore feeding Travis Moen, who found SK74 in front of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller for his seventh goal of the season and second point of the night.

• Key Moments: Good night for Sergei Kostitsyn, the game’s third star, but let’s give the nod to big defenceman Ryan O’Byrne for his first goal in more than two years.

• What It Means: The Canadiens remained in sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with 86 points and a 39-32-8 record. The Boston Bruins, 2-1 overtime winners in Toronto, are next with 84, while the New York Rangers, 4-1 winners over the Panthers in Florida, pulled even in points with idle Philadelphia with 82 points, through the Flyers have more wins.

• What’s Next: And then there were three: the Canadiens hit the road Monday for a game Tuesday in Long Island against the New York Islanders, head on to Raleigh for a Thursday match against the Carolina Hurricanes, then return home to wrap up the 82-game regular season next Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sabres’ Ryan Miller and Tim Connolly defend on a
backhand shot by Canadiens’ Marc-André Wednesday night. Rick
Stewart/Getty Images

Preview | Matchups | Wednesday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

• At a Glance: The Canadiens had played the perfect game – until Ryan O’Byrne took a penalty with 3:33 to play in the third period that opened the floodgates for the Buffalo Sabres, who would eventually win 3-2 in a shootout. Trailing 2-0, the Sabres pulled goalie Ryan Miller and enjoyed a 6-on-4 man advantage that cost the Canadiens. Tim Connolly would eventually put one past Carey Price on a rebound after a shot from the point was blocked. Price, making his first start since being pulled in Anaheim during the four-game road trip after the Olympic break, had been solid up to that point and could not be faulted on the goal. After play resumed, Miller again headed to the bench and the Sabres tied it 2-2 with 48 seconds to play when Steve Montador pushed home the puck during a mad scramble in front of Price, who stopped 40 of 42 shots in 65 minutes of play. The game marked the return of Michael Cammalleri and Marc-André Bergeron, who had been out of the lineup with knee injuries. Cammalleri didn’t waste time making an impact as his work helped set up Andrei Kostitsyn’s goal only 41 seconds into the game. Tomas Plekanec, the third member of the line, fed Kostitsyn through Ryan Miller’s crease for an easy tap in. Kostitsyn scored his second of the game in the second period, 4:57 into the frame with the Canadiens on the power play. Kostitsyn took a pass in the slot and fired a wrist shot through Miller’s legs.

• Key Moments: Montreal killed off a four-minute minor to Benoit Pouliot for high sticking that spanned the end of the second period and first minute of the third. But all that was for not as the Sabres took advantage of the O’Byrne penalty to start their comeback.

• What It Means: The Canadiens drop to 36-30-8 for 80 points, moving them into sixth position in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Flyers, who have a game in hand.

• What’s Next: Montreal is back home on Thursday night to take on the Florida Panthers. The Devils visit the Bell Centre on Saturday and the Hurricanes are in town next Wednesday to wrap up March.

Sabres centre Tim Connolly scores on Canadiens goalie Carey
Price during the second period Sunday afternoon at the Bell Centre. Peter McCabe, The Gazette

Preview | Matchups | Sunday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Pat Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Brian Gionta | Mike Cammalleri | Carey Price | Jacques Martin

• At a Glance:  One bounce. That was the difference Sunday as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Canadiens 1-0 in the first game of 2010 for Montreal. Tim Connolly scored his 11th goal of the season 6:56 into the second period after a pass from Jason Pominville bounced into Carey Price’s crease, an easy tip-in for Connolly. It was the only blemish for Price, who stopped the rest of Buffalo’s 30 shots. Ryan Miller, who will defend the U.S. net at the Vancouver Olympics, stood tall against the Canadiens, stopping all 29 shots they fired his way.

• Key Moments: Montreal was unable to score on a pair of power plays in the first period, the only chances they would get with the man advantage during the game.

• What It Means: The Canadiens lost for only the second time in 8 games, watching its record drop to 21-20-3 for 45 points.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens are in Washington on Tuesday night before returning home to host the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

• AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Brian Gionta | Scott Gomez | Jaroslav Halak

Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn’s participation tomorrow vs. Buffalo will be a game-time decision by head coach Jacques Martin. Defenceman Paul Mara, who’s missed the past five games with a hand/wrist injury, might return to action after having practised today with teammates.

No announcement of the Habs’ starting goalie will be made before tomorrow morning, though Martin has scrapped the morning skate with a 3 pm start Sunday. The Sabres skated today at Concordia University and they, too, will not skate Sunday morning.

Both Kostitsyns took a therapy day today, and for family reasons Ryan O’Byrne missed a hard hour-long practice – “They’re all hard now,” Glen Metropolit joked – at Brossard.

The other news of note from this morning: Jaroslav Halak was named winner of the Molson Cup for the month of December for garnering the most points in three-star selections. He’ll be presented the trophy before Sunday’s game.

We expect to have health updates today on Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn; Andrei left the New Year’s Eve game in Florida in the second period after absorbing a hard bodycheck, while Sergi suffered a lower-body injury during the pregame warmup and was unable to play.

Updates to come in this space after practice. I’ll be updating live during practice via Twitter here.

• Sean Gordon, in this morning’s Globe & Mail, on how a number of Canadiens are turning to protective shells over their skates to save their shot-blocking feet.

Montreal returns to practice on Saturday morning in advance of Sunday’s 3 p.m. Bell Centre matinée against the Buffalo Sabres. Then it’s back on the road for one game, in Washington on Tuesday, before returning home for dates against Florida, New Jersey, Dallas and Ottawa. The Habs will enjoy four days off at home Jan. 10-14 between the New Jersey and Dallas games.

Saturday’s practice should yield some news on the health of brothers Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. Andrei left Thursday’s game in Florida in the second period after a hard check from Panthers’ Keith Ballard, while Sergei came up lame with a lower-body injury suffered during the pregame warmup.

Habs Inside/Out will be at Saturday’s practice. Look for a post-practice report in this space early in the afternoon, with live updates on Twitter here beginning around 10:30 a.m. ET

Canadiens’ Hal Gill clears loose puck from the crease in front of goalie
Jaroslav Halak during first period Monday night at the Bell Centre. John Mahoney, The Gazette

Gazette preview | Matchups | Monday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

PRE-GAME AUDIO: Mike Cammalleri | Jacques Martin

POSTGAME AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Andrei Kostitsyn | Mike Cammalleri | Tomas Plekanec

• At a Glance: Until the Canadiens learn to stop taking dumb penalties, what happened over the last two games will keep happening. After losing 4-3 to the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday night – with the winning goal scored on the power play – the Canadiens dropped another game thanks to careless penalties, again by a 4-3 score to the Northeast Division leading Buffalo Sabres. On Monday night, the Canadiens were down two men when Clark MacArthur scored the winning goal with just more than five minutes to play. What makes it doubly frustrating is that the Canadiens had just scored the game 3-3 when Glen Metropolit was handed a double-minor only six second after Michael Cammalleri scored Montreal’s third goal. Ryan O’Byrne took a penalty 37 seconds later and MacArthur took advantage. For the second straight game, Andrei Kostitsyn scored a pair of goals, both on the power play. Andrej Sekera, Patrick Kaleta and Tim Kennedy were the other Buffalo goal scorers. Ryan Miller stopped 21 of 24 Montreal shots, while Jaroslav Halak made 23 saves on 27 shots.

• Key Moments: The Canadiens enjoyed a power play for the final two minutes of the game but were unable to score the game-tying goal.

• What It Means: Montreal has now lost three straight games and its record has dropped to 15-16-3.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens are in New Jersey on Wednesday night before returning home to welcome Guillaume Latendresse and the Minnesota Wild to town on Thursday. They then travel to Long Island to take on the Islanders on Saturday night.

Sabres left-winger Tim Kennedy (left) celebrates his second period goal
with teammate Thomas Vanek while Canadiens
goaltender Jaroslav Halak looks on Thursday night. Adam Wieper, Reuters

Gazette Preview | Matchups | Thursday’s NHL schedule | Boone’s Game Blog and About last night … | Stubbs on Twitter | Hickey’s game story

AUDIO: Jacques Martin | Jaro Spacek | Josh Gorges | Jaro Halak

• At a Glance: Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, they did for the Canadiens. After a 3-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canadiend laid another egg against the Buffalo Sabres, this time losing by 6-2. And this one was over almost before it could get started, with Buffalo taking a 3-0 lead only 8:20 into the game. It was not the way Jaroslav Halak wanted to play in his first start in almost a month. Clarke MacArthur, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy scored in the first period,  with Tim Kennedy scoring in the second. Andrej Sekera and Mike Grier capped the scoring for the Sabres in the third period. The Sabres ended the game with 37 shots on Halak. Ryan Miller hardly had to break a sweat in this one, but he was beat by Scott Gomez in the second period and then Josh Gorges in the third period, two of only 23 shots for the Canadiens, a figure that is flattering to the Canadiens, who had only eight shots after two periods.

• Key Moments: The opening faceoff.

• What It Means: That is the fourth straight loss for the Canadiens, dropping their record to 12-14-2. And if the losing streak continues, the Habs could soon be in the basement of the Northeast Division, a spot now occupied by the Maple Leafs, who are only three points behind Montreal after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens are back home to the Boston Bruins on Friday night. Next week, things do not get any easier with games against the Flyers, Senators and Penguins.

The Canadiens practised today in Brossard then headed to Buffalo, where they’ll meet the Sabres Thursday. It’s immediately back to Montreal after that, for the much-trumpeted 100th anniversary game vs. the Boston Bruins on Friday at the Bell Centre.

Andrei Kostitsyn expects to be back in the lineup, his foot injury healed, while Hal Gill, recovering from a hairline foot fracture, should be ready to go vs. Buffalo or Boston, coach’s choice.

Canadiens goaltender Carey Price stands tall in front of Sabres’ Matt Ellis Saturday night. Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Gazette preview | Today’s NHL Schedule | Boone game blog and About last night …| Hickey’s Game Story | Inside the Locker Room

AUDIO: Carey Price  Brian Gionta  Mike Cammalleri

• At a Glance: Take the four points and head west, my friends! The Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 in overtime Saturday night in a game they were never really in. And it was newcomer Brian Gionta who played the hero on this night as he took the puck off the boards and redirected it past Ryan Miller with only the Canadiens third shot since the second period.
For the second straight game, Carey Price kept the Canadiens in the game and has allowed only four goals in 81 shots he has faced over two games.

• Key Moments: After a solid second period, the Habs recorded only one shot on Ryan Miller in the third period, while the Sabres fired 11 at Carey Price, who made a miraculous save with seconds to go in the third period to force overtime.

• What It Means: The Canadiens might have four points after their first two games, but their players are dropping like flies. Saturday night saw Ryan O’Byrne and Glen Metropolit go down with injuries during the first period.

• What’s Next: The Canadiens head to Calgary where they begin a three-game Western Canadian swing with a game on Tuesday night.

Canadiens’ Alexei Kovalev scores his second goal of the game Saturday night under the arm of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Allen McInnis, The Gazette

Preview | Rosters | Tale of the Tape | Play-by-Play | Faceoffs | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boone

AUDIO:  Bob Gainey  Saku Koivu  Christopher Higgins  Carey Price

The Canadiens made up at least some ground on the New York Rangers despite a 4-3 shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night, a game the Sabres desperately needed as they continue a push for a playoff position.

With the Canadiens picking up a point, the Sabres, who sit 10th in the Eastern Conference, are four points behind the Canadiens, who have 86 points, one behind the New York Rangers in seventh spot. The Rangers lost their game Saturday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Carey Price looked much better in the shootout, stopping Tim Connolly, Drew Stafford, Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek, while Jason Pominville missed the net. Toni Lydman was the only one to score in the shootout, giving the Sabres a much needed second point.

Ryan Miller stopped Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Andrei Markov, while Alex Tanguay missed the net and Tomas Plekanec hit the post with his team’s fifth shot and Maxim Lapierre missed the net with a chance to extend the shootout.

Miller, who was playing his second game since returning from an ankle injury, played well and has given his teammates renewed hope of postseason play with a 32 save performance. At the other end of the ice, Price stopped 34 of 37 shots.
The Sabres, who played Friday night, were the ones who jumped out to an early lead despite being dominated for most of the first 28 minutes.

Adam Mair, inserted into the lineup in the place of Maxim Afinogenov, scored just as Alex Kovalev was exiting the penalty box 17:35 into the first period.

Early in the second period, Tim Connolly doubled his team’s lead on the power play with a blast from the slot that eluded Carey Price.

Trailing 2-0, the Canadiens came to life in the second period, sparked by the fourth line of Mathieu Dandenault, Glen Metropolit and Christopher Higgins eight minutes into the period.

They came in 3-on-2 and Dandenault fed a pass across the ice that Metropolit let slide to Higgins, who wristed a bullet over Ryan Miller’s shoulder 7:58 into the second period.

A few minutes later, Saku Koivu did all the work as he brought the puck out from behind the net and fired a backhander that found its way behind Miller. Koivu was originally credited with the goal, but replays showed that Kovalev redirected the puck for his 21st goal of the season.

Less than three minutes later, Kovalev scored his second of the game when he accepted a pass from Mathieu Schneider with his skate, kicked it to his stick and slid it under Miller’s outstretched arm.

The Sabres didn’t quit though and tied the game 3-3 four minutes into the third period when Clarke MacArthur scored into an empty net after accepting a pass from Jason Pominville from the lip of Price’s crease.

Montreal went 1-for-4 on the power play and the Sabres also scored once on three opporunities.

The Canadiens welcome former teammate Cristobal Huet and the Chicago Blackhawks to the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.

Sabres goaltender Patrick Lalime watches the puck after Canadiens right-winger Alex Kovalev was tripped by Sabres defenceman Andrej Sekera during first period Wednesday night in Buffalo. Gary Wiepert, Reuters

Preview | Rosters | Tale of the Tape | Play-by-Play | Faceoffs | Game Summary | Event Summary | Boone

AUDIO: • Carbo  • Price  • Koivu  • Kovalev

Carey Price was given a chance to show he has regained his form on Wednesday night, but the results were far from conclusive in a 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Price was given the start after Jaroslav Halak, who had won four straight games, was forced to miss the game because of the flu.

It was a game that started well for the Canadiens, who dominated most of the first period and outshot the Sabres 18-10. But the Sabres camw out of it with a 1-0 lead after Derek Roy scored on a power-play near the end of the period.

The Canadiens went 0-for-3 on the power play in the first period, and were 0-for-5 overall and even gave up a shorthanded goal. The Sabres were 2-for-3.

Roy doubled the Sabres lead early in the second period when he was left all alone in front of Price after a turnover deep in the Canadiens’ zone. Even though Roy flubbed his shot, Price couldn’t get over in time to make the stop.

A few minutes later, off another turnover, Jaroslav Spacek broke in on Price and blasted a slap shot to Price’s glove side, leaving the goaltender looking dazed and confused and giving the Sabres a 3-0 lead.
It was more of the same in the third period as Paul Gaustad scored a pair of goals, one on the power play and another shorthanded, to complete the scoring for the Sabres, who closed the gap between themselves and the Canadiens in the playoff race.

Tomas Plekanec broke Patrick Lalime’s shutout bid with a little more than a minute to play with his 18th of the season, but it was far too little, way too late. Lalime was spectacular on the night, stopping 38 of 39 Montreal shots. Price faced 27 shots and surrendered five goals.

The Canadiens didn’t make any moves leading up to the NHL trade deadline, but the Sabres were active on Wednesday.

The Sabres re-signed forward Tim Connolly early in the day, then acquired goaltender Mikael Tellqvist to fill in for the injured Ryan Miller. They also acquired Dominic Moore from the Maple Leafs and dealt Ales Kotalik to the Edmonton Oilers for a draft pick.

Halak is expected to meet the team Thursday in Atlanta.

From Buffalo, from the mp3 recorder of Pat Hickey:

• Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau;
• Canadiens defenceman Mike Komisarek;
• Canadiens defenceman Josh Gorges.

• Sabres coach Lindy Ruff on tonight’s game;
• Sabres forward Jason Pominville on the signing of teammate Tim Connolly. He was commenting before the deal was confirmed, which has since happened;
• Sabres’ Tim Connolly on his new contract.