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BUFFALO Adidas Timothy Liljegren Jersey , N.Y. (AP) Upon handing the puck to Canadiens goalie Antti Niemi in honor of his 35-save performance, defenseman Karl Alzner had a hard time believing how long it has been since his teammate’s last shutout.It’s been more than two years.”It’s hard to believe as good of a goalie as he is for that to be the case,” Alzner said, Friday night, following a 3-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres in a game between two teams out of playoff contention. ”It’s nice to be part of it and nice to be there for him to get it.”Niemi’s 36th career shutout was also significant given how the 34-year-old finally landed in Montreal – his fourth team in less than a calendar year. He went from being released by Dallas in June to signing with Pittsburgh in July and then being claimed off waivers twice in three weeks – first by Florida in October, and then by the Canadiens in November.”What he’s persevered through and also his work ethic is unbelievable,” coach Claude Julien said. ”There’s no doubt he’s been a real positive for our hockey club.”Niemi improved to 6-4-4 with Montreal, and the shutout was his first since a 20-save performance in Dallas’ 4-0 win over Chicago on Dec. 22, 2015.”I knew it’s been a long time,” said Niemi, who won a Stanley Cup with Chicago as a rookie in 2010. ”I wouldn’t have cared too much if they would’ve scored one in the end and we still won. I like the way I played.”Artturi Lehkonen scored the go-ahead goal by converting a puck that bounced off the end boards 4:56 into the second period. Former Sabres forward Paul Byron and Brendan Gallagher then scored empty-net goals 22 seconds apart in the final 1:15 to seal the win.Montreal had lost its past four overall Adidas Tyler Ennis Jersey , and gone 0-5-2 on the road since a 6-3 win at the New York Islanders on March 2.Nothing is going right for the NHL’s last-place Sabres, who closed their six-game homestand at 1-4-1. The Sabres’ league-worst home record dropped to 11-22-5, and they must win their final two home games to avoid setting a franchise low for fewest wins in an 82-game season (13-21-7, in 2012-13).Buffalo’s league-worst offense was blanked for the second time in three games – following a 4-0 shutout loss to Nashville on Monday – and seventh time this season. The Sabres also lost to a Canadiens opponent now tied with Arizona with the NHL’s fewest road wins (10) and has scored a league-low 85 goals on the road.The poster-boy for frustration was forward Ryan O’Reilly, who muffed Kyle Okposo’s pass while facing an open net during a two-man advantage eight minutes into the third period.”I’ve got to be better. It’s my fault,” O’Reilly said. ”I should just get behind it and take my time. It was a stupid play by me.”O’Reilly also had Niemi beat on a rush up the right wing with 2:55 left in the second period. With room between the post and Niemi’s pad, O’Reilly missed stuffing the puck in and instead had it slide through the crease.”I’ve done that move in practice hundreds of times,” he said. ”When it matters, I don’t do it. Just letting the guys down.”O’Reilly wasn’t the only one off the mark. Scott Wilson hit the crossbar from the left circle in the first period. And Sam Reinhart was set up alone atop the crease only to be robbed by Niemi in the second period.Sabres rookie Linus Ullmark allowed one goal on the 22 shots he faced.Lehkonen scored when teammate Alex Galchenyuk’s shot from the left circle was blocked in front. The puck dribbled to Jacob de la Rose, who snapped a shot just wide of the net from the slot. The puck struck the boards and to Lehkonen, who flipped it in above Ullmark’s out-stretched right leg.NOTES: Sabres C Zemgus Girgensons returned after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. … After opening the season with a 3-2 shootout win at Buffalo Adidas Antoine Roussel Jersey , the Canadiens proceeded to go 0-6-1 in their next seven. … Before the game, the Sabres honored Luke McDermott and Adam Page, two local members the United States gold-medal-winning Paralympic hockey team.UP NEXTCanadiens: Host Washington Capitals on Saturday.Sabres: At New York Rangers on Saturday.— NEW YORK (AP) — Matt Murray stopped 28 shots to keep up his strong play since returning from an injury, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 7-2 on Wednesday night for their season-high seventh straight victory.Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Kris Letang and Dominik Simon each had a goal and an assist. Zach Aston-Reese and Tanner Pearson also scored to help the Penguins win for the ninth time in 10 games. Patric Hornqvist had two assists.Murray improved to 6-0 with a 1.49 goals-against average in six games since coming back from a lower-body injury Dec. 15. He also moved to 8-0 in his career against the Rangers, including the playoffs.Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich scored for the Rangers. They are 2-0-2 in their previous four games and 2-0-5 in their past seven at home.Henrik Lundqvist, picked as an All-Star for the fifth time earlier in the day, gave up six goals on 18 shots before he was pulled less than five minutes into the third period. Alexandar Georgiev replaced him and finished with six saves.OILERS 3, COYOTES 1GLENDALE Adidas Tim Schaller Jersey , Ariz. (AP) — Connor McDavid scored two goals and assisted on another to help Edmonton beat Arizona to end a six-game losing streak.McDavid raised his team-leading total to 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists). He began the night fourth in the NHL in scoring, and has 12 points in the past five games.Leon Draisaitl scored his 22nd of the season for Edmonton, his sixth goal in five games. Draisaitl also had an assist and Mikko Koskinen stopped 29 shots for his 12th win.Brad Richardson scored for Arizona.CANUCKS 4, SENATORS 3, OTOTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Elias Pettersson completed a hat trick in overtime and Vancouver held off Ottawa.Pettersson’s second goal put Vancouver ahead 3-1 early in the third period, but Christian Wolanin and Mark Stone scored for Ottawa, with Stone tying it with 50 seconds left.Pettersson won it by burying a 2-on-1 feed from Brock Boeser. Pettersson was named an All-Star for the first time earlier in the day. The 20-year-old rookie has 22 goals.Sven Baertschi also scored for the Canucks, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 30 shots.Matt Duchene also scored for the Senators.STARS 5, DEVILS 4DALLAS (AP) — Miro Heiskanen celebrated his first All-Star nod with two goals Adidas Jay Beagle Jersey , including a third-period tiebreaker, to lift Dallas past New Jersey.Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin each scored twice after Jamie Benn tied it at 1 in the first period. Heiskanen, a 19-year-old rookie defenseman, has nine goals.Seguin and Benn have been under scrutiny since Stars CEO Jim Lites ripped Dallas’ highest-paid players Friday for “terrible play.” Seguin ended a five-game goal drought that dated almost two weeks. Benn scored in his second straight game but didn’t play for most of the final two periods because of an upper-body injury.Kyle Palmieri, Jesper Bratt, Drew Stafford and Brian Boyle scored for New Jersey.FLAMES 5, RED WINGS 3DETROIT (AP) — Johnny Gaudreau’s power-play goal with 10:23 left lifted Calgary past Detroit.Detroit led 2-0 after one period, but the Flames rallied to hand the Red Wings their sixth straight loss. Sean Monahan, TJ Brodie, Elias Lindholm and Michael Frolik also scored for Calgary.Darren Helm, Jacob de la Rose and Andreas Athanasiou scored for Detroit.Gaudreau put the Flames ahead 4-3 after a slick play by Matthew Tkachuk Adidas Curtis McKenzie Jersey , who stickhandled below the goal line and then slipped a pass between goalie Jimmy Howard and the side of the net. Gaudreau was in front to tap in the puck for his 22nd goal of the season.SHARKS 5, AVALANCHE 4DENVER (AP) — Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns each had a goal and three assists, Martin Jones made 31 saves and San Jose held off Colorado.Evander Kane, Joonas Donskoi and Lukas Radil also scored for the Sharks. They extended Colorado’s recent slide after a 9-0-2 stretch lifted the Avalanche into first place in the Central Division in early December.Tyson Jost scored twice, and Matt Calvert and Tyson Barrie also had goals for Colorado. The Avalanche have dropped six in a row, two in overtime, and are 3-8-3 since Dec. 4.