Caufield’s OT winner sinks Sabres: Canadiens morning report

Caufield finishes the job in overtime

The Canadiens wake up on a winning note after a 4–3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night at the Bell Centre. Once again, it took extra time for Montreal to grab the second point, with Cole Caufield ending it in OT, as described by both La Presse and Sportsnet.

La Presse underlines that the Habs once more had to rely on overtime to get the job done, in a tight game where Buffalo pushed back to force the extra frame. Their live game coverage traced a back-and-forth night before Montreal finally closed it out in front of the home crowd.

Sportsnet focuses on Caufield’s winner in sudden death and on how the play unfolded, noting that a missed chance by the opposition quickly turned into a break the Canadiens’ sniper converted.

Suzuki line breaks through, Slafkovsky draws praise

Beyond the winner, it was the overall play of the top line that stood out. Sportsnet calls it a "dominant" showing from Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield, the kind of performance the Canadiens have been waiting for since reuniting the trio five games ago.

La Presse highlights what it calls the return of the "good" version of Slafkovsky, revisiting why the big winger went first overall in 2022. The outlet points back to the blend of skating, physical presence and scoring ability that won over general manager Kent Hughes, and notes that those tools were on display against Buffalo.

Sportsnet also aired Caufield’s post-game interview, where he walked through the overtime play and made a point of saluting the loud Canadiens fans in the building, saying he feels very fortunate to be playing in Montreal.

Goaltending questions resurface, Sharks up next

In the background, Eyes on the Prize and the Journal de Montréal, cited in the same roundup, report that Jakub Dobes’s early-season struggles have already reopened Montreal’s familiar goaltending conundrum. According to those outlets, the young netminder now finds himself part of a renewed debate over the pecking order in goal, something the organization had hoped was settled.

Eyes on the Prize also describes an opening stretch where the Canadiens pushed the pace early against Buffalo’s defence, while the Sabres registered the first shots without really troubling Jacob Fowler in the Montreal crease.

In the standings, the Canadiens sit sixth in the Atlantic Division with 9 points in 8 games (4-3-1). Next up, they host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, with puck drop at 7:00 p.m. in Montreal. It’s another chance for the top line to build on its surge—and for the goaltending debate to keep simmering.