Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens

Patrik Laine scores a hat trick in Montreal's 6-1 rout of Buffalo, extending Sabres' free fall

Juraj Slafkovsky, Joel Armia and Josh Anderson also scored for Montreal while Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson provided two assists each and Sam Montembeault stopped 20 shots.

Dylan Cozens scored for struggling Buffalo and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 15 saves on 21 shots. Backup James Reimer stopped all six shots that he faced after entering to start the third.

The loss came a day after Sabres owner Terry Pegula flew to Montreal for a team meeting.

Armia scored only 19 seconds into the game, capitalizing on a wide-open net after Sabres defenseman Owen Power mishandled the puck off the end boards.

Laine scored three goals for the 11th time in his career, bringing the winger’s season total to six in seven games since returning from a knee injury.

Takeaways Canadiens: Laine, Montreal’s off-season acquisition, scored his second and third goals on five-on-three power plays 1:10 apart midway through the second period, helping the Canadiens build a 5-1 lead.

Sabres: The owner’s visit didn’t inspire his team to a hot start. Buffalo recorded its first shot 10:05 into the game. The Canadiens had nine at that point, including two goals. The Sabres also couldn’t stay out of the box with five minor penalties in the first two periods.

Key moment Fans littered the ice with hats before breaking out into a deafening ovation when Laine’s third goal was announced.

Key stat Despite missing time, Laine is already tied for fourth in goals on the Canadiens with Anderson, Alex Newhook and Emil Heineman, all of whom have played 30 or more games.

Up next Canadiens: Visit the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night.

Sabres: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.

MTL leads series 2-0