In a game that the Montreal Canadiens perhaps did not deserve to win against the Buffalo Sabres, the unusual suspects shone in a 3-2 victory. Alex Galchenyuk added his 48th point of the season by assisting on Greg Pateryn’s first career NHL goal, while Paul Byron scored his 9th goal in overtime on a deflection that was an attempted pass to Torrey Mitchell. Mitchell could’ve had his third game-winner against his old team this season, but the puck bounced off of Zach Bogosian and ended up behind Robin Lehner. Andrei Markov also had a stroke of luck, as his point shot deflected off of his former captain and teammate Brian Gionta.
It wasn’t an exciting game by any stretch of the imagination, but goaltender Ben Scrivens put on quite the show by flashing his glove on numerous scoring occasions and robbing players such as Evander Kane. Moreover, he challenged Lehner to drop the gloves and both goalies were seen occasionally chirping at each other, which certainly provided some form of entertainment in a match that was dominated by the Sabres. They had 43 shots on net while the Habs were held to a measly 22. Then again, it’s not always about “how… you win games. Scrivens reflects the
I was thrilled to see Pateryn score his first goal. I saw it as a reward for his performances over the course of the past couple of weeks. As many of you would recall, I had hoped that Pateryn would secure the #6 position this season after he proved himself during the end of last season and the playoffs, where he demonstrated a sense of consistency and confidence. You’d have to think that he had a rough season, considering he must’ve felt as though he deserved a legitimate shot at the bottom defensive pairing. Instead, he was the epitome of professionalism, never complaining once and continuously working hard to earn himself a permanent role with the big club. Here’s hoping that he’s done enough to impress the Habs’ organization to stick around once and for all, because besides being strong in his own end, he has the ability to read the plays well and often ensures a smooth transition out of his zone with crisp, underrated passes. I don’t expect him to light up the score sheet, and he certainly might not find himself playing with the man advantage, but he’ll provide stability and virtually mistake-free hockey for years to come.
This weekend, the Habs will play against the Ottawa Senators and a rare Sunday matchup against the Calgary Flames.
Check back soon for my preview of both games and my take on the NHL expansion talks.