When Juraj Slafkovsky defeated Devon Levi to score the game-winning goal in the shootout, he was embraced by several of his teammates at center ice. Another handful of Canadiens players ran toward Cayden Primeau to celebrate.

The real star of this meeting wore a mask and leggings. Without Primeau, the CH would never have beaten the Buffalo Sabers 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday at KeyBank Arena.

Primeau made up for his disappointing performance against the Florida Panthers, in which he scored five goals from the glove side, with an exemplary performance against the Sabres. He blocked 46 of 48 shots from the stripe on Rasmus Dahlin. And although it’s not reflected in his stats, he made two more saves in the shootout against Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka.

In a first duel against another Northeastern University graduate in Levi, Primeau showed that he had heart in his stomach and could get back up. He was brilliant from start to finish. In the first third, the 24-year-old American stopped 17 shots from the Sabers, who were attacking from all sides. He was quick in his movements and completely confident.

If we thought the three-goalie menage was coming to an end, Primeau offered Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton a good case to continue this experiment.

Northeast evening

The Northeastern Huskies alumni put on quite a show this Saturday night in Buffalo.

Primeau, who played two years at Northeastern and won the 2019 NCAA Goaltender of the Year (Mike Richter Trophy), earned his third win of the season. He did it under the watchful eye of Levi, another former Huskies and another Mike Richter Trophy recipient (2022 and 2023).

The young goalkeeper from Dollard-des-Ormeaux also showed a very strong game. In the third period he scored a highlight against Cole Caufield with a quick move to the left. Of his 29 saves, Levi made nine against Caufield.

However, the Habs’ number 22 hit the target in the shootout, scoring one of his team’s three goals. Jesse Ylönen and Slafkovsky scored the other goals in the shootout, while Victor Olofsson and Owen Power scored for the Sabres.

It’s not just Northeastern’s former guards who have gotten attention. Jayden Struble, another graduate of this university program, scored his first NHL goal. He achieved this in his ninth game.

Struble scored the first goal of the game by redirecting a pass from Johnathan Kovacevic in the second period. He wasn’t afraid to attack and was rewarded. Despite a costly turnover in the third period that led to the Sabres’ first goal (Jeff Skinner), Struble had another very encouraging game.

For a 22-year-old rookie defender, Struble scores points with his calmness, his confident demeanor in his area and his good exits from the area. In the second period, the Habs’ 2019 second-round pick prevented Tage Thompson from getting away with a good return.

A fight and a decisive goal

For the third time in a row on the right wing of the front row, Slafkovsky once again passed his test. He was used for just over 18 minutes and created several chances to score. He missed a golden opportunity in the third period when he hit the post on the power play.

At the end of this sequence, the Slovakian fought a battle against Connor Clifton. He was in his first fight in the NHL, while Clifton, a former Bruins player, was in his 16th fight.

Perhaps Slafkovsky was venting his frustration during this waltz with Clifton. But he had regained his senses for the shooting. As the fourth field player that Martin St-Louis used, he pushed the puck into the net with his backhand after a great quick feint.

It was only Slafkovsky’s second time in a shootout. It was his first goal. A goal he won’t forget. And that should give him confidence again.

√ Tanner Pearson was hit by a one-handed shot from Peterka in the first period and made only six appearances against the Sabres.