BUFFALO, N.Y. — Crossing the Montreal blue line with a full head of steam, Buffalo's Daniel Briere looked up and knew exactly what he was going to do.
Turning flatfooted defender Sheldon Souray inside out, Briere then fooled goaltender Cristobal Huet to seal the Sabres' 3-1 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday night.
"I saw him standing still and saw his face go 'Oh shoot,' " Briere said, referring to Souray. "It was a tough play for him. And in his defense, there's not much he could've done . . . There's nothing better than winning games and scoring goals."
Briere's goal capped a big night for Buffalo (49-24-6), which tied a franchise record for victories set in 1974-75. Tim Connolly had a goal and assist, Maxim Afinogenov set up two goals and Taylor Pyatt also scored in helping the playoff-bound Sabres inch closer to securing fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
With three games left, Buffalo moved seven points ahead of idle Philadelphia in fifth.
Souray scored for Montreal, which remains three points from clinching back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 1997 and 1998. The Canadiens, coming off a 3-2 win over Ottawa on Monday, are now 1-2 in their last three games since winning eight straight.
Blame Briere, who had fresh legs, the result of the Sabres' three-day break between games — their longest since the Olympic break in February.
"We could've scored a couple more," Briere said, smiling.