BUFFALO, N.Y.- On October 27, The Buffalo Sabres hosted the Montreal Canadiens in their first matchup of the 2022-23 season.

With Buffalo entering this game 4-2-0 on the season, they were the expected favorites to win.

The Canadiens and Sabres’ games are always a pleasure to be at. Although the teams aren’t rivals, Montreal’s close proximity to Buffalo makes for a packed arena full of both home and away fans.

The puck officially dropped at 7:00 p.m., with both teams coming out of the gates strong. Both the Sabres and Canadiens quickly worked to mount pressure on each other.

With shots on net racking up quickly for both teams, it was only a matter of time before the first goal would be scored.

After a series of rough bounces from a shot by Canadiens’ Brendan Gallagher, first off Sabres’ goaltender Eric Comrie and then off a defender’s skate, the puck finally found the back of the net midway through the first period giving the Canadiens an early lead.

The first period would end in a 1-0 lead for the Canadiens.

After a breather, the teams returned after the first intermission to another period of back-and-forth hockey. Only 30 seconds into the 2nd period, an early period Jeff Skinner goal assisted by Alex Tuch and Jack Quinn would end up tying up the game at one apiece.

A major issue for the Canadiens during the second period was their lack of shots. While the Sabres continued to mount pressure on Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault, the Canadiens didn’t have that fire in them that the Sabres had.

The performance by Montembeault was special, to say the least. Keeping his head strong, he would make save after save throughout the second period to keep the game tied at one going into the third period.

Going into the third period from a fan’s point of view, everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next goal.

After almost seven minutes of hard-fought hockey, Canadiens rookie Kaiden Guhle would net his first NHL goal on a one-timer from David Savard.

Six minutes later, midway through the third period Dylan Cozens of the Sabres would send a wrist shot past the Canadiens goaltender evening the score again at two.

Returning the energy back to the crowd and his team, the Sabres would attempt to use the momentum from Cozens’ goal to try and pull away with a lead.

Unfortunately for the Sabres, a late goal by Canadiens’ Josh Anderson would seal the deal for the Canadiens.

Even an extra attacker in the last minute of play wouldn’t be enough for the Sabres to mount a last-minute comeback.

As the final buzzer rang, the score finished 3-2 in favor of the Canadiens.

This loss brought the Sabres’ record to 4-3-0 on the season while the Canadiens would improve to 4-4-0 on the season.

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