Jason Pominville scores twice in his first game back with Buffalo.
By Joe Yerdon NHL Correspondent
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jonathan Drouin scored in the shootout and Carey Price made 43 saves and stopped all three shooters to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres in the season opener at KeyBank Center on Thursday.
Drouin deked and beat Robin Lehner with a backhand for the only goal in the shootout. Price stopped Sam Reinhart in the final round for the win.
Drouin, a Quebec native, made his Canadiens debut after he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in a trade on June 15.
Montreal has won four straight season openers. Jason Pominville scored twice for Buffalo, which has lost five straight openers.
Pominville gave the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 8:30 of the first period with a power-play goal.
Pominville received a pass from Seth Griffith and took a backhand shot that beat Price to the stick side for his first goal for Buffalo since March 21, 2013, against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pominville was re-acquired in a trade from the Minnesota Wild on June 30.
Max Pacioretty made it 1-1 after a turnover by Ryan O’Reilly. Brendan Gallagher picked up a loose puck after O’Reilly fanned on a pass. Gallagher passed to Drouin, who found Pacioretty open in the face-off circle for a one-timer that beat Lehner, who made 38 saves.
Pominville made it 2-1 22 seconds into the second period after a cross-ice pass from Jack Eichel.
Philip Danault made it 2-2 with a shorthanded goal at 8:01 of the third. Danault picked up a loose puck behind the net and beat Lehner with a wraparound shot.