Beck Malenstyn delivers a clear message about the Buffalo Sabres' playoff chase

Beck Malenstyn scored his second highlight-reel goal of the season, this one a shorthanded tally eerily reminiscent of Jason Pominville's playoff overtime winner against the Ottawa Senators in 2006, as the Buffalo Sabres scored a crucial 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Afterward, Malenstyn made it clear the Sabres, who struggled in the second period against the Habs, must prepare to take an opponent's best punch every night. The days of the Blue and Gold being overlooked are a thing of the past following their remarkable recent surge.

"It's a great challenge for us to just know that, every single game, we're gonna get the other team's best, and you can't take anybody lightly," the fourth-line winger told reporters. "Hopefully, we stay on that path and we can find ourselves in a playoff spot when the dust settles. And I think every team that gets in coming out of the East is gonna be extremely well prepared."

The Sabres have now won 17 of their last 21 games, a massive turnaround few fans saw coming after the club's sluggish start to the 2025-26 season.

Buffalo owns the top wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and Thursday's win moved the team within two points for the Canadiens for third place in the Atlantic Division.

"I think coming into a sold-out Bell Centre is as close to a playoff game as you're going to get in the regular season," Malenstyn said. "... When they get a little momentum, it's a hostile environment. And I think it's a great lesson for us, how we eventually weathered that storm in that game."

The Sabres were completely outplayed in the middle period, with head coach Lindy Ruff calling out a timeout after Montreal turned a 3-0 Buffalo lead into a tight 3-2 contest. The Blue and Gold responded with a lock-down defensive effort in the third period to secure two key points.

Let's take a look at the latest installment of our Sabres player grades series as Ruff's group continues to find ways to win.

Buffalo Sabres' young guns continue to impress in Jan. 22 win over the Montreal Canadiens

Sabres player grades

Buffalo Player of the Game: Zach Benson

The Sabres just signed Josh Doan to a seven-year contract extension, and they'd be wise to follow a similar path for a long-term agreement with Benson before his value skyrockets.

Benson scored exactly the type of goal you'd expect from the hardworking winger against Montreal, taking three whacks at the puck while battling multiple opponents atop the crease before finally getting it across the goal line early in the second period.

The 2023 first-round draft pick only stands 5-foot-10 and 177 pounds, but he plays like a forward who's five inches taller and 30 pounds heavier. He's fearless attacking the most dangerous areas of the offensive zone, and he consistently outworks bigger, stronger foes.

It hasn't translated into big numbers quite yet — the 20-year-old Canadian has recorded a modest 81 points in 183 career games — but he's regularly generating high-danger chances for himself and teammates, which should translate to a higher scoring rate as he hits his prime.

Benson and Doan, who share that all-out-effort approach, should be Sabres fixtures for a long time.

Sabres quick hits

• Another strong start from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who stopped 32 of 34 Canadiens shots. It'll be interesting to see if Ruff opts for an even split between UPL and Alex Lyon, or whether the coaching staff starts to lean on Luukkonen as a more clear No. 1 option.

• Buffalo's new Kid Line, which features Benson alongside Konsta Helenius and Noah Ostlund, didn't see a ton of ice time, but they were highly effective in their minutes once again.

• Jason Zucker, who struggled initially after his return from injury in early January, has now scored five points in his last five games.

• Jacob Bryson left the game with an upper-body injury. Ruff said "he's going to miss some time." Zach Metsa will likely draw back into the lineup alongside Michael Kesselring.

• It's a good sign the Sabres were able to win despite a mostly quiet night for the top line of Doan, Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.

• Buffalo general manager Jarmo Kekalainen should be trying to find a fourth-line winger who can effectively replace Jordan Greenway's penalty killing without being an anchor at 5-on-5.

• The Sabres (28-17-5) will look to keep the good times rolling Saturday afternoon (1 p.m. ET) when they visit UBS Arena to take on the New York Islanders (27-18-5) in yet another critical Eastern Conference matchup.