DON’T GET ME STARTED wonders how Ryan Miller is feeling after watching his back-up play his 3rd straight outstanding game.
Jhonas Enroth made many outstanding saves, especially in one sequence in the second period where he stopped 3 straight close-in shots enabling Buffalo to beat the Montreal Canadians 3-2 in overtime.
Enroth stopped 32 of 34 shots, many of them great saves to keep Buffalo in the game. The Sabres scored a pair in the first and then managed to escape the dreaded second period by not allowing a goal for the first time in recent memory. However, Montreal did tie the game in the 3rd period but a penalty on the Habs early in overtime enabled Buffalo to score the game winner on the second of Steve Ott’s goals.
Montreal was one of the hottest teams in the NHL but Buffalo escaped its second period doldrums by keeping the Habs off the scoreboard until the third period, thanks to Enroth’s goaltending.
It was the third meeting of the season between the Habs and Sabres with the teams splitting the first two games. In those two games Miller gave up a total of 10 goals to Montreal, so coach Ron Tolston decided to give him more rest and start Enroth who responded with some fine quality goaltending.
A Montreal turnover in its own zone led to the first goal of the game when the puck came to Steve Ott, high between the circles. The Buffalo forward blasted a shot that beat Carey Price at 7:47 and the Sabres took a 1-0 lead in a brisk first period.
With a minute to go, the Sabres made it 2-0 with some hard work in the Habs zone. The puck came to Tyler Myers just inside the blue line. The defenseman took a long shot that and was credited with his 4th goal of the season giving Buffalo the two-goal cushion heading into the second period. There was a question whether Tyler Ennis tipped it in.
With 7 minutes gone in the final period, Montreal showed a desperation that paid off when Max Pacioretty netted his 9th of the season following a sustained flurry in the Sabres zone to make it a 2-1 game.
The Habs continued to press and with 4 minutes left in the game, they tied it up when Colby Armstrong put a backhander behind Enroth.
Both teams played cautiously sending the game into overtime. With 17 seconds gone in OT, Subban of Montreal was sent off for elbowing putting Buffalo on a 4-on-3. It paid off when Steve Ott got the game winner, his second of the game to give Buffalo the 2 points.
Buffalo held on gain the needed win as the season is winding down and the team desperately in need of points. Buffalo returns home to face Toronto on Thursday and then return to Montreal for a Saturday night game.
The question that Rolston will now have to face is who to start in goal considering the fine play of Enroth on Don’t Get Me Started.
Filed under: Buffalo Sabres, Don't Get Me Started
Tagged with: Art Wander, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Sports, Jhonas Enroth, Montreal Canadians, NHL
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