Sabres 3 - 2 Canadiens
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Hecht's shootout tally lifts Buffalo over Canadiens

Feb 16, 2011 - 4:23 AM Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Jochen Hecht scored the winner in the 10th- round of the shootout to help the Buffalo Sabres take a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.

After each side scored in the fifth round, the goaltenders stopped the next nine shooters before Hecht banged a wrist shot in off the right post for the win.

Drew Stafford and Jason Pominville each had a goal for the Sabres, who have won four of their last five. Jhonas Enroth stopped 32 shots in the win.

"I'm really pretty good in shootouts," said Enroth. "This one was a 10-round shootout, but I stayed focused and tried to keep stopping them. This was a fun game to play here in Montreal."

Benoit Pouliot and Max Pacioretty both scored for the Canadiens, who have lost four of their last five. Carey Price made 30 stops in the loss.

The Habs scored the only goal of the first period at the 4:54 mark on the power play when Pacioretty got the puck at the low right side and was able to jam it in on his second attempt.

Montreal made it a 2-0 game 6:28 into the second as David Desharnais skated the puck into the zone, used his speed to create a 2-on-1 and dished it over to the left for the easy tap-in by Pouliot.

"We weren't happy with our start," said Pominville. "We were not happy with the way we were skating and how we weren't competing. They were first on the puck and we knew it."

The Sabres got on the board with 2:12 to play in the second on the power play when Stafford scored off a nice pass from Thomas Vanek for his 24th goal of the season.

Pominville tied the game when, off a right circle faceoff, Hecht got the puck behind the net and centered it for a Pominville one-timer 6:08 into the third.

"The second half of the game we were on our heels," said Montreal forward Brian Gionta. "It's a tough one to give up another point. We have to do a better job when we have the lead. It's a big two points to give up and that extra one leaves us empty. We've lost some of our consistency and we have to find it again."

Game Notes

Buffalo hosts Toronto on Wednesday...Montreal hit the road for the next three games starting Thursday in Edmonton...Stafford has nine goals in the past five games...Montreal has won three of the five against Buffalo this season.






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