Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Canadiens beat Sabres 4–3 in OT: Caufield turns a missed 3-on-1 into the winner
Buffalo erased a two-goal deficit, but a shot that missed on a 3-on-1 rebounded into Cole Caufield’s breakaway. The scoring sequence explains the 54-second overtime finish.
Montreal beat Buffalo 4–3 at Bell Centre on October 17. Cole Caufield scored twice, including the winner 54 seconds into overtime after a missed Sabres 3-on-1 sent the puck around the boards and into his path for a breakaway.
One missed chance flipped overtime
Buffalo opened overtime with a 3-on-1, but Josh Norris missed the net. The puck caromed off the boards and rolled down the left side, where Caufield collected it near the blue line and skated in alone.
Caufield beat Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen over the blocker-side shoulder at 0:54. It was his second goal of the game and his 14th regular-season overtime goal.
Montreal built a 3–1 lead
Norris opened the scoring for Buffalo at 8:21 of the first period by following his own rebound. Zachary Bolduc tied it on Montreal’s first shot on goal, a power-play deflection at 11:45.
Caufield put Montreal ahead at 14:01 after Juraj Slafkovsky won the puck behind the net. Alexandre Texier made it 3–1 at 7:39 of the second by finishing a rebound from Kaiden Guhle’s point shot.
Buffalo’s comeback earned a point
Jack Quinn cut the deficit to one with his first career short-handed goal at 9:52 of the second period. Tage Thompson tied the game 3–3 at 10:12 of the third, finishing Josh Doan’s cross-ice setup at the back post.
The rally gave Buffalo a standings point for a fourth consecutive game. The Sabres had also erased a two-goal deficit in a shootout loss to Montreal five days earlier.
The supporting numbers
Jacob Fowler made 23 saves for Montreal. Luukkonen stopped 30 shots for Buffalo. Slafkovsky and Alexandre Carrier each recorded two assists for the Canadiens.
Montreal improved to 4–3–1 with its third win in four games. Buffalo moved to 4–3–2 and took six of eight available points from its four Atlantic Division games that week.
What the finish does—and does not—show
The winning sequence was a transition swing, not sustained overtime pressure: Buffalo had the initial numbers advantage, missed, and immediately had to defend a breakaway in the other direction.
The result does not erase Buffalo’s comeback or prove a lasting trend for either team. It establishes a narrower fact: Montreal converted the decisive counterattack 54 seconds into overtime after losing a two-goal lead.
