Laine’s 11th Career Hat Trick Powers Canadiens to 6-1 Win Over Sabres

Summary:
- Patrik Laine shined with his first hat trick as a Montreal Canadien, bringing his career total to 11.
- The Finnish player led the team to a crushing 6-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
- The Sabres’ woes continued with their 11th consecutive loss.
Patrik Laine dazzled with his first hat trick as a Montreal Canadien, helping his hockey team dominate the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 while updating his hat trick count to 11 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the struggling Sabres suffered their 11th straight loss, as their flat-footed effort against it didn’t come true just one day after owner Terry Pegula flew to Montreal for a much-needed pep talk.
The Canadiens’ Offense, On Fire
Montreal’s offense was firing on all cylinders. Along with Laine’s three-goal performance, Juraj Slafkovsky, Joel Armia, and Josh Anderson each found the back of the net.
Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Lane Hutson each contributed a pair of assists, showing off the team’s fluidity and creative play. In terms of goal-saving, Sam Montembeault had a solid outing, making 20 saves to keep Buffalo at bay.
Buffalo’s only goal came from Dylan Cozens. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started between the pipes for the Sabres but struggled, conceding six goals on 21 shots.
After two tough periods, backup James Reimer took over in the third and stopped all six shots he faced.
With Buffalo’s defensive woes on full display, the Canadiens wasted no time getting on the scoreboard.
Just 19 seconds into the game, Joel Armia took advantage of a defensive blunder. Owen Power’s mishandling of the puck off the end boards left the net wide open, and Armia pounced to give Montreal the early lead.
11th NHL Career Hat Trick for Laine
From there, Laine took over. The 26-year-old born in Tampere, Finland proved his trademark scoring ability with three goals, marking the 11th hat trick of his NHL career.
Since returning from a knee injury, Laine has been in scorching form, tallying six goals in just seven games.
Laine’s standout performance gave the Montreal fans plenty to cheer for, and the team’s balanced effort gave them hope for the games to come.
Connor Clifton: “No Legs, No Jump, No Energy”
While Montreal’s confidence is growing, the Sabres continue to search for answers to their slump.
“Out-competed, lost battles, got away from us”, commented defenceman Connor Clifton after the game.
Just no legs, no jump, no energy. You think with the meeting yesterday, being on a 10-game losing streak, at least we’d have legs and energy.
He added, further saying they “obviously got embarrassed” and that it would be difficult to look forward and put the freshest loss past them.
Although demands for a major organizational shake-up are inevitable after another crushing defeat, the Sabres players acknowledged the need to reflect on their own performances and take accountability.