Thomas Vanek scored a pair of third-period goals, including one with 1.9 seconds left, and Jason Pominville scored the deciding goal in the shootout to lift the Buffalo Sabres over the Montreal Canadiens, 5-4.
Vanek also scored in the first round of the shootout for the Sabres, who avenged a 6-1 loss to Montreal last Saturday. Tyler Ennis added a goal and two assists, while Steve Ott had a goal and an assist.
Ryan Miller made 28 saves for Buffalo, which snapped a three-game skid.
Tomas Plekanec scored a pair of goals for the Canadiens, who have lost two straight since a two-game win streak. Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban also lit the lamp.
Peter Budaj stopped 36-of-40 shots in defeat.
Trailing by two, 4-2, Vanek put his team on his back with a pair of late strikes. The first came on the power play after Montreal's Ryan White was given a four-minute roughing penalty. Vanek gathered a rebound in front and beat Budaj with a backhander at 7:57.
"I hurt the team," White said of his penalty. "It was just a selfish play."
Vanek's game-tying goal came in the dying seconds of regulation. A mad scramble for the puck took place in front of Budaj, and Vanek managed to poke the disc across the goal line past a mass of bodies. The goal was upheld following a review with 1.9 seconds to go.
"That is a huge goal by Vanek," Ennis said. "He was rewarded, he had a lot of chances tonight and he's staying hot."
Each goaltender made two saves in overtime.
Vanek and Alex Galchenyuk scored in the first round of the shootout. Following a scoreless second round, Pominville beat Budaj with a wrist shot. Miller then stopped Brian Gionta to secure the come-from-behind victory.
Plekanec's shot from the right circle gave the Canadiens a 1-0 lead at the 4:11 mark of the first period.
Just 15 seconds later, Ott lit the lamp for Buffalo. A nice forecheck by Mikhail Grigorenko led to Jochen Hecht controlling the puck. Hecht slid a pass to Ott, whose shot from the bottom of the right circle beat Budaj.
Gallagher's shot from the high slot put Montreal back in front at the 12:31 mark of the middle stanza.
Once again, the Sabres had a quick answer when Ennis scored on a breakaway to make it 2-2 only 35 seconds later.
Penalties to Cody Hodgson and Ott with less than three minutes left in the period gave the Canadiens a 5-on-3 power play. Just 53 seconds into the two- man advantage, Subban beat Miller with a one-timer from the top of the left circle.
Plekanec scored on a breakaway just 45 seconds into the third period to make it 4-2 for Montreal.
Game Notes
