Christian Ehrhoff takes control makes game-winner for Buffalo Sabres over Montreal Canadiens
There was only one thing newly acquired Buffalo Sabres defenseman, Christian Ehrhoff, did not seem to do and that was he did not fail to impress, be it the team management or the 21,000 plus fans that were present in Montreal, Quebec to witness Sabres takedown
Canadiens, 3-1.
Taking control of the preseason opener, Ehrhoff assisted the first goal of the matchup as Jason Pominville fired off with less than five minutes remaining.
Montreal missed two power play attempts back-to-back as Matt Ellis and Marcus Foligno were sent packing for two minor penalties.
Canadiens superstar rookie defenseman, P.K. Subban finally took advantage of Buffalo’s fifth shorthanded situation and levelled the match with less than two minutes remaining, forcing an intense third period contest.
Having signed a 10-year, $40 million deal with Buffalo during the offseason; it was not hard to see why Ehrhoff was motivated. Scoring the game-winner during the final round, 6:07 into the period off a pass by Marc-Andre Gragnani, he assured the team of
his performing ability.
"He's got a really good shot", Sabres head coach, Lindy Ruff said, talking about Ehrhoff performance. "I thought probably again tonight there were some opportunities we passed up, we passed some plays around, but you don't usually have to tell him to shoot.
He's a shooter and he can sling it with a wrist shot and he can hit it pretty hard with a slap shot".
Tyler Ennis fired a finalising shot with the last three seconds remaining in the matchup, giving Buffalo their first dominating win of the preseason.
For Montreal, it was also the return of their infamous forward, Max Pacioretty, who seemed to be more excited than ever.
"No big hits given or received but the bumps are I think what's really going to make my neck react so we'll see how it feels tomorrow", Pacioretty said.
Even though it just might be an exhibition matchup, the stakes are still high and the moods are serious. Each player wants a piece of the action, which makes the situation for spectators all the more exciting.
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