The Montreal Canadiens' troubling trend of third-period letdowns proved costly once again on Thursday night, as they fell 5-3 to the scorching-hot Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Another Lead Slips Away
Despite entering the game as one of the NHL's hottest teams over the previous five weeks, the Canadiens failed to capitalize on a Sabres squad playing its second game in 24 hours. For the second consecutive contest, Montreal was victimized in the final frame, allowing two unanswered goals—one into an empty net—to seal their fate.
The roles were reversed from just 48 hours earlier, when the Washington Capitals mounted a comeback against a tired Canadiens team. This loss leaves Montreal with only one point from a possible four to start a three-game road trip, a missed opportunity for a team aiming to take the next step in its ascent.
Tage Thompson's Dominant Performance
The story of the night was Sabres centre Tage Thompson, who authored a one-man wrecking crew performance. Thompson recorded a hat trick—the ninth of his career—and added two assists, factoring in on every Buffalo goal. His third goal found the empty net, and he scored on all three shots he took on the night, bringing his career total to 200 goals.
Cole Caufield had opened the scoring for Montreal just over three minutes into the game, but Thompson and the Sabres' potent power play responded quickly. Buffalo scored twice with the man advantage in the first period, while the Canadiens converted on two of their three opportunities.
Ivan Demidov ended a 10-game goal drought to tie the game, and captain Nick Suzuki—snapping a scoring slump dating back to January 1st—also found the back of the net. The assist on Demidov's goal was the 100th career helper for defenceman Lane Hutson in his 132nd game.
Key Moments and Missed Chances
The game featured several pivotal moments where the outcome could have swung. In the second period, Suzuki had a two-on-one break with Caufield but elected to pass. Later, in the third, Oliver Kapanen had a golden opportunity with Sabres goalie Colten Ellis out of position but chose to deke to his backhand instead of shooting immediately.
Defensively, a miscue proved fatal. Hutson was caught out of position on Thompson's winning goal, creating a two-on-one break against his defence partner, Alexandre Carrier.
Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler took the loss, his second in a row and third in his last four starts, posting an .846 save percentage on the night. In a notable sidebar, Fowler was named to the AHL All-Star game despite not having played for the Laval Rocket since December 6th.
Post-Game Reactions
Despite the result, head coach Martin St. Louis found positives in the effort. "I think it was a great game," St. Louis said in Buffalo. "To watch the talent on the ice, the kind of hockey that was being played... I thought we were very engaged. This was a game that could have gone either way."
Captain Nick Suzuki acknowledged the challenge posed by the Sabres, who are now on a remarkable 15-2-0 run that included a 10-game winning streak. "That's definitely a team and organization that's going to be around a long time with all their talent," Suzuki told reporters. "They've learned how not to lose games."
Young defenceman Lane Hutson summed it up succinctly: "We definitely got their best tonight. We definitely want to be better, too."
The loss drops Montreal's record against Buffalo to 8-3-0 in the last 11 meetings. The two teams are scheduled to meet twice more in the next 17 days.
