3 takeaways from the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens

The Buffalo Sabres continue to move up the standings and have now gone 17-3-1 over their past 21 games, with the latest win coming against a team they are chasing in the division, the Montreal Canadiens. This is the second time in a week the two teams have played each other, and after getting a 5-3 win at home, they secured a 4-2 win on the road against the Canadiens.

The Sabres were able to jump out to the early lead with Jason Zucker scoring the first goal a minute into the game off the assist by Jack Quinn. They would be able to build their lead to three before the Canadiens scored two in a row in the second period to make it a one-goal game going into the final period.

It remained that way until the closing minutes when Peyton Krebs would score another empty-net goal to secure the win. These are some of the takeaways from the game tonight for the Buffalo Sabres against the Canadiens.

Buffalo Sabres still scoring even with limited shots on goal

Over the past 10 games, the Buffalo Sabres are 7-2-1 and have been averaging nearly four goals a game, but surprisingly have been out-shot now nine out of those 10 games. In fact, they have been outshot by 10 or more shots in four of these games, including tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, who doubled up Buffalo 34 to 17.

The Sabres certainly have been opportunistic with the shots they do have, but the amount of shots they are giving up has to be a concern for Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff. It is one of the reasons that teams have been able to get back in on games where the Sabres get an early lead.

Beck Malenstyn shows off the speed with a short-handed goal

Beck Malenstyn has settled into a great role and has been a steady contributor for the Buffalo Sabres on their fourth line. However, he isn't known necessarily for his goal-scoring, but was able to deliver with a short-handed goal in the first period.

Malenstyn was able to do it with his incredible speed as he was able to push the puck ahead and get past the Canadiens skater. After he beat the skater, he skated across the crease to get Sam Montembeault to commit and was able to just carry it around him for the open net goal.

With the short-handed goal, the Sabres are now tied with the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings for the league lead with seven goals. This is something that teams have to account for when playing the Buffalo Sabres, and can't be as aggressive as they might like, which is also another advantage for the team's penalty kill.

Buffalo Sabres build a big lead but once again sees their opponent get right back into it

The Buffalo Sabres got out to an early lead with Jason Zucker scoring the first goal of the game just 44 seconds into the first period. After that, the Sabres added two more goals and built a 3-0 lead by the early parts of the second period.

However, it was seemingly all Montreal after that, and they would add two goals, with Cole Caufield scoring a little over one minute after Benson's goal in the period. Nick Suzuki scored later in the period to make it a one-goal game.

Lindy Ruff would call a timeout after Suzuki's goal, and the Sabres were able to keep the lead, even though the Canadiens continued to control the flow of the game.

The Sabres have done a good job building leads and thankfully have been able to hold on, but the games have been much closer than they probably should be. Over the last 10 games, there have been four different games where the Sabres had at least a 3-0 lead and in each one of those games, the opposing team has come back to cut into the lead and make it a one-goal game.

It is something they have to correct but it might also be a bit of growing pains for a young team that is still learning how to win in this league. The hope is that they get better at playing with a big lead because it is something they need to be successful, especially if they get to the playoffs.