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 All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban was stretchered off the ice with
2:26 remaining in the third period after falling awkwardly in battle
in the corner with Buffalo's Marcus Foligno and a subsequent
collision in which teammate Alexei Emelin's behind caught him in the
head.
"When you see that whole situation, it's really scary," said
Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty. "To see that many trainers on the
ice and doctors, it's tough to play after that."
The Canadiens had taken the lead a few minutes earlier when Torrey
Mitchell potted a rebound of a Mark Barberio shot to restore a
Montreal lead.
"You're trying to win a hockey game but you almost feel like you
don't want to keep playing at that point in time," Sabres coach Dan
Bylsma said. "There's a couple of minutes left in the game but
you're really mostly, entirely, concerned for the athlete and for
the person. The game's an afterthought."
Galchenyuk scored a pair for Montreal (32-30-6), becoming the first
Canadiens player with five multi-goal efforts in an eight-game span
since Jean Beliveau in 1959, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Gionta connected for the Sabres
(27-33-9).
Mike Condon made 36 saves for the Canadiens while Robin Lehner
stopped 31 shots for the Sabres.
Deslauriers' fifth of the season broke the scoreless tie at 9:00 of
the second period. Jake McCabe picked up Zach Bogosian's deflected
shot attempt along the left side and fired a shot from outside the
circle that hit Deslauriers before beating Condon glove side.
The goal announcement had barely begun when Galchenyuk tied the game
1-1 a mere nine seconds later. Mark Barberio dumped the puck in
after the center ice faceoff and it rimmed around behind the net to
Lehner's right. Pacioretty got to it first and found his center just
below the hashmarks, who quickly buried it.
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After struggling to generate much on its first two power plays,
Montreal finally cashed in late in the frame. Subban dove to keep
the puck in along the boards and Sven Andrighetto sent the loose
puck over to an uncovered Galchenyuk in front of the net, connecting
for his third straight multi-goal game and team-leading 25th tally
of the season at 19:16.
"It's great to see," said Barberio, who picked up a pair of assists
on the night. He's playing with a lot of confidence and it seems
like every time he touches the puck, it ends up in the net. It's fun
to watch him.
Gionta made it 2-2 at 5:10 of the third period. Evander Kane tossed
a shot toward the net from the left circle, sending it past Condon
off an unattended Gionta's skate in front.
"We played pretty hard," Foligno said. "We would have liked to have
a little more offensive zone time. There was a lot of neutral zone
and back-and-forth. For our line, I thought we played well. It was a
tough battle. "
NOTES: Montreal C Lars Eller returned to the lineup after missing
Tuesday's game with an injury, leaving LW Lucas Lessio as the lone
healthy scratch. ... Buffalo D Cody Franson missed his 10th
consecutive game while recovering from a neck injury. ... Canadiens
coach Michel Therrien stepped behind the bench for his 742nd career
NHL game, tying Red Kelly for 41st as an NHL head coach. ... Earlier
in the day, Montreal announced that D P.K. Subban was awarded the
club's Jean Beliveau Trophy for 2015-16, recognizing his community
involvement. ... The game was the 270th meeting between the
Canadiens and Sabres and the fourth of five matchups this season.
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