Canadiens suffer hard home loss to Skinner, Thompson-led Sabres

Jeff Skinner picked up two goals and three assists as the Buffalo Sabres snapped an eight-game losing streak with a resounding 7-2 win over the host Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night.

Tage Thompson recorded a goal and three assists on the night while Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch each notched one goal and two assists. JJ Peterka and Henry Jokiharju added the others for Buffalo (8-11-0).

Craig Anderson made 29 saves.

Cole Caufield and Sean Monahan scored for Montreal (9-9-1). Jake Allen had a rough day at the office allowing seven goals on 38 shots.

The Canadiens struggled on the power play, going 0 for 6 with the man advantage, including a four-on-three opportunity halfway through the second period.

The Sabres, meanwhile, jumped out of the blocks with a 3-0 lead in the first 2:13. It was their second fastest three-goal tally to begin a game in franchise history.

WATCH l Sabres end 8-game losing streak with big win over Canadiens:

Skinner, Thompson lead Sabres past Canadiens to snap 8-game skid 46 minutes ago

Duration 0:51

Buffalo ends an eight-game losing streak with a 7-2 victory over Montreal. Jeff Skinner scores twice and finishes with five points while Tage Thompson records a goal and three assists.

Thompson found Dahlin in the slot to make it 1-0 only 35 seconds after puck drop.

Seventeen seconds later, the Sabres attacked Allen’s crease and Peterka netted Buffalo’s second of the night.

In an attempt to shift the momentum, Canadiens defenceman Chris Wideman dropped the gloves with Sabres forward Tyson Jost after Montreal’s Michael Pezetta was called for boarding.

Instead, Tuch jumped on the opportunity to triple Buffalo’s lead with a wrist shot on the power play.

The Habs cut the deficit to two goals when Caufield sent a slap shot past Anderson at 2:57 of the first.

Buffalo regained its three-goal cushion 11:21 into the second when Thompson found Skinner in the slot with a backhand pass and the winger scored his sixth of the season.

Montreal made it a 4-2 game when Monahan took the puck from centre ice, drove down and scored off his own rebound at 13:57.

The Sabres bumped their advantage to three when Tuch rounded the net and sent a backhand pass to Jokiharju who beat Allen for his first of the season at 3:48 of the third.

Thompson added his team’s sixth goal at 6:39 of the final frame with a wrist shot over Allen’s glove.

Skinner iced the game with a one-timer from the right face-off circle at 14:26.