Alex Newhook scored twice and the Canadiens beat the Sabres 4-1 in habs vs sabres Game 2 to even the series at 1-1. Montreal answered Buffalo’s series-opening win with a cleaner finish, and the result shifted the matchup back to even after one night in Buffalo.
Newhook Drives Montreal
Newhook gave Montreal the start it needed, and he finished with two goals after scoring the Game 7 winner against Tampa. He now has three goals over his past three games, with four shots in each of his last two games.
He skated on a line with Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans. That unit kept producing. Mike Matheson added his first goal of the playoffs, Alexandre Carrier scored his first as well, and Nick Suzuki also scored to give Montreal four different goal-scorers.
Buffalo Gets One From Benson
Zach Benson scored Buffalo’s only goal and carried five points over his last three games, but the Sabres could not match Montreal’s depth scoring. Benson also battled with Jakub Dobes during the game, while the Canadiens’ goaltender had enough support to keep the Sabres from turning the night into a back-and-forth game.
That support mattered because Montreal got goals from Newhook, Matheson, Carrier and Suzuki while Buffalo finished with one. Cole Caufield, who arrived in the playoffs after a 51-goal regular season, still had only one playoff goal and averaged under two shots per game. He hit the crossbar in the third period, a reminder that the Canadiens were not relying on just one line to drive the result.
Tage Thompson Stalls
Tage Thompson went without a point and finished minus-4, and he has not scored a goal in seven games. When asked after Game 2 whether he is injured, he said, “I don't think that's any of your business.”
That line leaves Buffalo needing a sharper response from its top forward group if it wants to take the series back. Montreal has already reset the matchup once, and Game 2 gave the Canadiens the kind of scoring spread that makes a long series feel shorter.
