Jordan Greenway Scores Game Winner in Sabres' 4-2 Game 1 Win

jordan greenway scored the goal that changed Game 1, putting Buffalo ahead 3-1 in a 4-2 win over Montreal. The Sabres took a 1-0 lead in the series, and the score came from a player whose season had been shaped more by injury recovery than by offense.

Greenway Delivers In Game 1

Greenway’s second-period goal stood as the game-winner. It came in Wednesday night’s opener against the Canadiens, and it gave Buffalo a cushion it did not give back.

Ryan McLeod said, “I think he said he put it through the goalie’s glove” after the goal. McLeod also added, “I don’t know if I’d go with that.”

The finish fit the way Buffalo used him. Lindy Ruff had made Greenway an every-night player for the playoffs because of his defense and penalty killing, not because he was expected to drive the scoring.

Ruff Saw It Coming

Ruff had already seen signs before the first-round series began. The day before Buffalo started its series against the Boston Bruins, he noticed Greenway scoring four or five goals in practice and pointed to that as a reason his name could surface at the right time.

“Definitely in the playoffs, there’s always going to be somebody that is going to poke their head through, and you’re going to say, ‘Man, I didn’t see that coming that this guy was going to score,’” Ruff said then.

That forecast mattered because Greenway is not a regular source of offense. He had one regular-season goal, scored on Nov. 13 in a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, and had three goals last season.

Greenway’s Recovery Trail

The goal also landed after a long stretch away from full health. Greenway had missed a big chunk of the last two seasons while recovering from a core muscle injury, then returned late in the regular season after seeking an alternative treatment.

He said two surgeries had not come close to helping him the way that treatment did. After the win, he kept the focus on the work in front of him: “It’s been a journey, of course, injury-wise, but there’s a lot of guys who have gone through injuries,” he said. “At this point, it’s behind me. I’m just focused on going out there and doing what I can do to help the team.”

He backed that up across the game, finishing with five hits and tying for the team lead. Buffalo also had a 5-1 advantage in high-danger chances while he was on the ice, and the Sabres controlled 71 percent of the expected goals during his five-on-five play before the text cut off.

For Buffalo, the result is already in the bank: a 4-2 win, a 3-1 lead when Greenway scored, and a 1-0 series edge that gives his line and his coach a reason to keep leaning on the same player who was supposed to matter most away from the puck.