BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - With a flick of his wrist in overtime,
Christopher Higgins capped the Montreal Canadiens' three-goal
comeback and dealt the stunned Buffalo Sabres a near finishing blow
to their playoff hopes.
Higgins, though, wasn't thinking about the big-picture
implications following a 4-3 victory that put Montreal back atop
the Eastern Conference standings, a point ahead of idle Pittsburgh.
What satisfied Higgins is how he made up for missing on a
wide-open breakaway that could have put the Canadiens ahead early
in the third period.
"I felt pretty bad about that," said Higgins, who had his
initial shot stopped by Ryan Miller's blocker, and then stuffed the
rebound attempt into the goalie's pads. "To have that opportunity
and let everybody down, I was glad I was able to come through in
overtime. ... I was pretty pumped."
In a game the Canadiens initially had no business being in and
trailed 3-1 with under 3 minutes left, Higgins emerged as the star,
scoring 3:38 into the extra frame. Parked at the left post, Higgins
easily redirected Mark Streit's pass from the right circle.
Credit, Tomas Plekanec, too, for rallying the Canadiens back
with two goals in a span of 2:16, including the tying goal with 15
seconds left.
"It's a huge two points for us," Plekanec said. "We didn't
play well, but we showed some character in the end."
The Sabres, meanwhile, continue to show little resemblance of a
team that won the Presidents' Trophy a year ago. Depleted of its
leaders, after losing co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere to
free agency in July, the Sabres are unraveling down the stretch.
In blowing a 3-1 third-period lead for the second consecutive
home game, Buffalo inched closer to being eliminated in the East
playoff race. With four games left, the Sabres are stuck in 10th
place, four points back of eighth-place Boston and the postseason
cutoff in the East.
"Giving up those leads, we've got to learn," Sabres coach
Lindy Ruff said, referring to Buffalo also blowing a 3-1
third-period lead in a loss to Ottawa on Tuesday. "There's not a
lot of learning time left, but you have to learn from it. It's
painful and you've got to move on."
The Sabres seemed in full control when defenseman Nathan
Paetsch, with his first goal in 47 games, and Daniel Paille scored
less than two minutes apart to put Buffalo up 3-1 with 12:45 left
in regulation.
Back came the Canadiens, who had seemed lifeless and
disinterested for most of the game, and had managed just 10 shots
through 34 minutes.
Plekanec cut the lead to 3-2, deflecting in Streit's shot from
inside the blue line with 2:31 remaining. The tying goal came with
Montreal's net empty, and was set up by Streit, who finished with
three assists.
Streit's shot from the blue line hit defender Henrik Tallinder
in front, and the puck dropped in the slot, where Plekanec reached
back and swept it through Ryan Miller's legs.
"We should've been able to hold them off, but they got some
breaks," Paille said. "Points are tough to come by, especially
with four games to play. It's something we don't need right now."
The loss spoiled what had been a relatively solid outing by
Miller, who finished with 25 saves and set the Sabres'
single-season record by making his 73rd appearance
Montreal goalie Carey Price played a key role in stopping 35
shots, his best a kick save foiling Paul Gaustad's wraparound
attempt early in the second period.
"This means a lot, it's a good learning experience for us,"
Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said, noting his team came out too
relaxed after clinching a playoff berth earlier this week. "We
just kind of showed up. We didn't respond, but sometimes it's
better to be lucky than good, and we took advantage of it in the
last minutes."
Alex Kovalev also scored for Montreal. Drew Stafford added a
goal for Buffalo.
Sabres forward Steve Bernier left the game with under 4 minutes
left after crashing into the end boards while attempting to check
Streit. Ruff described the injury as a bruised hip.
Notes: The Canadiens opened a three-game road swing, and close the
season with two home games. ... Buffalo's record for most
appearances by a goalie was shared by Don Edwards (1977-78),
Dominik Hasek (1997-98) and Martin Biron (2001-02). ... Montreal
won its 24th road game, fourth most in franchise history, and most
since they won 27 on the road in 1977-78.