BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Jose Theodore nearly came up with another shutout.

Theodore made 14 saves, and rookies Jason Ward and Francis Bouillon each scored their second career goals to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

	Montreal goalie Jose Theodore survived pressure from Curtis Brown's Sabres and came within seven minutes of back-to-back shutouts.

"I wasn't really thinking about the shutout. I was thinking about the win," Theodore said. "We need those points if we want to stay in the playoff race."

Theodore, who shut out Detroit on Tuesday night, had his bid for a second straight shutout dashed when Stu Barnes scored with 6:33 remaining in the game.

"It should have finished 2-0," Montreal coach Alain Vigneault said. "We only gave up six scoring chances."

Martin Biron stopped 25 shots for Buffalo, which is 2-6-1 since Christmas. The Sabres have dropped four of five home games.

"There's a couple of things left (to try)," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. "Such as trade a couple of guys, the biggest wake-up call of all.

"(Trades) shake up the whole atmosphere," he continued. "You get some frustrated guys who can't get out of (a slump). It's as good for them as it is for us."

Buffalo's Rob Ray agrees with his coach.

"You've got to do something," Ray said. "We're falling from a playoff spot, and other teams are playing half-decent."

Montreal won its second straight, recording back-to-back wins for the first time since a four-game winning streak in November.

Ward gave Montreal a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 2:35 into the second period. Bouillon tossed a shot through traffic from along the left boards, and Ward was able to deflect it over Biron's right shoulder.

Bouillon put the Canadiens up 2-0 on a slap shot from 35 feet away 1:51 into the third period. He recovered a loose puck just inside the blue line and Buffalo defenseman Jay McKee lifted his leg to enable the puck to go through.

Barnes scored his 12th of the year on the power play to bring the Sabres within a goal. He wristed a snap shot from the slot just under the left arm of Theodore.

Barnes has scored four goals in seven games, all on the power play. His goal was the first by the Sabres in 128:14, since he scored midway through the third period at Ottawa last Saturday.

"Sometimes the answers aren't as clear as you want them to be," said Buffalo captain Michael Peca. "That's when management steps in and solves the problem."