Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - Buffalo Sabres hockey was back on Thursday night, as the 2022 Sabres Prospects Challenge got underway at Harborcenter in Downtown Buffalo.
As for the action, the Sabres managed to kick off the tournament with a 4-3 win over the the Montreal Canadiens, who were making their debut in the annual tournament.
It was Montreal kicking off the scoring nearly eight-and-a-half minutes into the game, as forward Emil Heineman streaked in down the right wing and fired a wrist shot that beat Sabres goalie Beck Warm over the blocker.
A little more than two minutes later, Montreal 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky stepped onto the scene with a nice individual effort while shorthanded to set up the Canadiens' second goal of the period. Slafkovsky managed to outmuscle the Sabres defender on a loose puck in the Buffalo zone, and he quickly spun to feed fellow 2022 first-round pick Filip Mesar, who managed to score alone on Warm.
Despite trailing 2-0 early, the Sabres responded well, as just 56 seconds after Mesar's goal, Buffalo got on the board as forward Linus Weissbach led a 2-on-1 rush with tournament invitee Josh Passolt, who tapped in a beautiful pass to cut the deficit to one.
Just 27 seconds later, it was Buffalo tying the game at 2-2, as another tournament invitee, Nolan Burke, managed to get a piece of a point shot from defenseman Zach Berzolla.
Despite giving up a few odd-man rushes to the Canadiens, the Sabres were able to play physical and fast, dominating the final half of the opening period of play.
Buffalo opened the second period by quickly taking a 3-2 lead thanks to 2021 seventh-round pick Tyson Kozak. The 19-year-old was able to get a piece of a point shot from defenseman Mats Lindgren that found its way past Canadiens goalie Joe Vrbetic.
Just past the halfway point of the second period, the Sabres made a goalie change, as Warm came off the ice following an impressive performance for tournament invitee Tomas Suchanek.
In the later stages of the second period, 2021 thrid-round pick Josh Bloom ended up heading off the ice with an upper-body injury after taking some friendly fire from Berzolla in the Buffalo end. The winger ended up not returning to the game.
Following Berzolla's third penalty of the game at the 5:15 mark of the third period, the Canadiens were presented a chance to tie the game at 3-3. However, a great individual effort from Kozak on the penalty kill led to his second goal of the night, as he remained patient on a rush to the net with Weissbach.
A little more than five minutes later, the Canadiens closed the gap to one goal, as 2022 second-round pick Owen Beck accepted a nice lead pass from Heineman down the middle of the ice, as he split the Buffalo defense and beat Suchanek with his shot.
In the dying moments of the game, the physical part of play picked up with more bodies, and even some fists flying around, as Berzolla dropped the gloves with Canadiens forward Lucas Condotta after the Sabres defenseman took a run at Slafkovsky in the open ice.
When the final horn sounded, the Sabres managed to hold off any late comeback push from the Canadiens to secure their first win of the tournament.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: 11:32 - Josh Passolt (1) (Linus Weissbach, Nolan Burke); 11:59 - Nolan Burke (1) (Zach Berzolla, Francois-James Buteau)
MTL: 8:24 - Emil Heineman (1) (Owen Beck, Jordan Harris); 10:38 - Filip Mesar (1) SHG (Juraj Slafkovsky)
Second Period:
BUF: 1:16 - Tyson Kozak (1) (Mats Lindgren, Isak Rosen);
MTL: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 5:47 - Tyson Kozak (2) SHG (Unassisted)
MTL: 10:25 - Owen Beck (1) (Emil Heineman, Lucas Condotta)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
MTL: 9:02 - Ryan Francis (Hooking - 2 min.)
Second Period:
BUF: 10:22 - Zach Berzolla (Hooking - 2 min.); 17-12 - Zach Berzolla (Holding - 2 min.)
MTL: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 5:15 - Zach Berzolla (Elbowing - 2 min.); 14:09 - Zach Berzolla (Fighting - 5 min.)
MTL: 14:09 - Lucas Condotta (Fighting - 5 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Tyson Kozak - BUF
2.) Juraj Slafkovsky - MTL
3.) Beck Warm - BUF
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What's next:
The Sabres have a day off before facing off with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. ET with Paul Hamilton and Brian Koziol on the play-by-play action on WGR Sports Radio 550.
