Canadiens beat the Sabres 4-3

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) is congratulated by teammates Juraj Slafkovsky (20), Jake Evans (71) and Alexandre Carrier (45) on his overtime shootout NHL hockey win against the Buffalo Sabres in Montreal on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Bad luck seemed to dog the Canadiens on Tuesday evening at the Bell Centre, but the Montreal side still managed to secure the two points.

Alexandre Texier scored the decisive goal in the shoot-out as the Habs defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4–3.

Texier caught Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen off guard at the near post. Jacob Fowler then made a save against Jack Quinn. Zachary Bolduc sealed the victory by beating Luukkonen between the pads.

The Sabres didn’t have a great game, but they scored three times when shots deflected off Canadiens players before beating Fowler.

The visitors, however, did not look like a team out for revenge. The Canadiens knocked the Sabres out in seven games in the Eastern Conference semi-finals last spring.

The Habs controlled the game, particularly at even strength. The result would have been very different had it not been for the Sabres’ lucky goals.

Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson each recorded a goal and an assist, whilst Josh Anderson also found the net for the Canadiens (3-2-1). Juraj Slafkovsky racked up two assists and Fowler made 14 saves.

For the Sabres (3-3-1), Olen Zellweger scored twice and Josh Norris also found the back of the net. Mattias Samuelsson and Beck Malenstyn each recorded two assists, and Luukkonen made 35 saves.

Defender Mike Matheson was absent from the Canadiens’ line-up due to an undisclosed injury. Forward Owen Beck made his first appearance for the Tricolore this season.

For their part, the Sabres were without their captain, Rasmus Dahlin.

Linesman Ryan Daisy picked up an injury early in the first period and was unable to return to duty. He fell awkwardly after a face-off and appeared to injure his left ankle.

The Canadiens will be back in action on Wednesday, when they visit the Washington Capitals.

Unlucky deflections

The Sabres capitalised on a bit of luck to open the scoring at 2:16. Zellweger’s shot from the point deflected off Canadiens defender Adam Engström before catching Fowler off guard.

Luukkonen then produced one of the finest saves of the young season, extending his glove to deny Anderson following a pass from Chris Kreider during a two-on-one breakaway.

The Canadiens responded during a two-man advantage at 14:28. Hutson beat Luukkonen, whose view was blocked by Phillip Danault.

Caufield put the Habs ahead at 1:19 of the second period. He beat Luukkonen with a fine one-timer following a cross-ice pass from Slafkovsky.

The second period was a rather lacklustre affair. Both teams often lacked cohesion.

Anderson nevertheless gave the Canadiens a two-goal cushion, scoring with 49.3 seconds remaining on the clock. Hutson drew four defenders before passing to Anderson on his left.

The Canadiens were unlucky again after the second interval. Norris cut the deficit to a single goal at 4:24, when his shot was once again deflected off Engström before finding the net.

Bad luck continued to plague Fowler when the Sabres equalised at 5:25. This time, Zellweger’s shot deflected off Hutson before finding the back of the net.

Danault came very close to securing victory for the Canadiens with just over three seconds remaining in normal time, but Luukkonen pulled off a fine save at his expense.

The Canadiens had several chances to score in overtime, but failed to capitalise on them. They then found themselves a man down, and Alexandre Carrier saved a powerful shot from Tage Thompson with just a few seconds left on the clock.

Caufield, Texier and Bolduc eventually scored for the Canadiens in the shoot-out. Thompson was the only one to beat Fowler for the Sabres.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Oct. 13, 2026.