Newhook, Canadiens ease past Sabres in Game 2, even Eastern 2nd Round

BUFFALO -- Alex Newhook scored twice, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at KeyBank Center on Friday.

The best-of-7 series is tied 1-1. Game 3 will be at Montreal on Sunday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN).

“I think as a group we knew we needed a big effort tonight, a bounce-back, a bounce-forward game (after a 4-2 loss in Game 1),” Newhook said. “… I think throughout the lineup, a lot of good games. I think we were able to roll through our lines and deliver a pretty solid effort, and it was a pretty big game here in Game 2.”

Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki also scored for the Canadiens, who are the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division. Jakub Dobes made 28 saves.

Zach Benson scored, and Alex Lyon made 23 saves for the Sabres, who are the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic.

“I think three or four of the goals were just the result of bad puck play,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “You can't beat yourself. We beat ourselves, and we know we have to be better. We said after Game 1, it's my job to make sure we get our minds in the right place. And I think we could have made a big difference on four of their goals at least.”

Newhook gave Montreal a 1-0 lead at 1:36 of the first period. Kaiden Guhle threaded a pass through the legs of Buffalo forward Alex Tuch for Newhook, who redirected it from in front.

Matheson made it 2-0 at 4:27. Phillip Danault won a face-off back to Matheson, whose snap shot from the left point went high over Lyon’s blocker.

“We knew we had to come and have a good start and to just score two goals, I think it was the first five minutes, that was amazing to get off to that lead, and just kept kind of building our game throughout,” said Suzuki, the Montreal captain. “I thought everyone was really bought in and had an amazing game.”

Newhook pushed it to 3-0 on the rush at 4:47 of the second period, four seconds after a Sabres power play expired. Jake Evans took the puck down the right side before sending it to Newhook, who was driving to the net on the opposite side for the tap-in.

Benson cut it to 3-1 at 19:22. With Dobes drawn to Conor Timmins in the right circle, Benson was at the back door to receive a pass from the defenseman and put it inside the left post.

Carrier increased the Canadiens lead to 4-1 at 3:54 of the third period. Buffalo forward Tage Thompson twisted and fell as he controlled the puck inside the Montreal blue line, and Carrier collected it to create a 2-on-1 before beating Lyon from the left circle.

“Kind of flip side of the first game. Fall behind (by) two early and try to chase the game, try to force plays that aren’t there,” Thompson said. “I just wasn’t executing. I think everything I touched turned into disaster tonight. So, tough one. I’ve got to be better. Just as simple as that. Just flush that one and move on.”

Suzuki scored an empty-net goal at 15:59 for the 5-1 final.

“We've learned a lot from last year, and I think we've grown,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said, referring to his team's five-game loss to the Washington Capitals in the first round last season. “… I'm proud of the response. I'm not surprised. We're going to start over (in) Game 3, but every game has its own story, every series has its own story, and you can't dictate the story. You’ve just got to keep writing. Rewrite if you don't like it."

NOTES: Montreal is 4-0 after a loss in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. … Dobes (5-4 in nine games) is the third Canadiens rookie goalie since 1986 with five wins in a single postseason. The others are Patrick Roy (15 in 1986) and Carey Price (five in 2008). … Lane Hutson’s assist on Newhook’s first goal was his 10th career playoff assist in his 14th game, making him the second-fastest player in Montreal history to reach the mark (Elmer Lach, 11 games). … Benson extended his point streak to three games (five points; two goals, three assists). … Each team was 0-for-5 on the power play.