BUFFALO, N.Y. — lya Kovalchuk and Brendan Gallagher scored in a span of 2:16 early in the second period, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1.
Carey Price stopped 20 shots to improve to 5-1 in his last six starts, a stretch in which he's allowed just 10 goals. For Gallagher, the goal came in his first game after missing six straight and 10 of 11 with headaches and concussion-related issues.
Jack Eichel scored for Buffalo, becoming the team's first player in 27 years to reach 30 goals in 50 or fewer games. Carter Hutton made 27 saves in a loss that extended his skid to 12 games.