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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- The new-look Buffalo Sabres put in a familiar effort Friday night to slip further out of playoff contention.
With newly acquired Doug Gilmour watching from the sidelines and Chris Gratton making his Sabres debut, Buffalo dropped a 3-2 decision to the surging Montreal Canadiens.
|  | | Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek -- also a subject of trade rumors -- made 17 saves. |
Brian Savage scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period by swatting a puck out of the air as the Canadiens moved up to seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Sabres, who acquired Gilmour and Gratton in separate deals struck earlier in the day to bolster their playoff stretch drive, fell three points behind the idle eighth-place New York Rangers.
"It's painful. No kidding. You go head to head (against a conference rival), these are the games that you have to win," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.
Ruff toyed with the idea of inserting Gilmour into the lineup, but was handcuffed from doing so because Michael Grosek, the player the Sabres sent to Chicago in exchange for Gilmour and J.P. Dumont, had not yet completed his physical. Under NHL rules, traded players must be evaluated by their new teams before the deal is considered official.
Gratton, acquired from Tampa Bay early Friday morning, had an assist while getting a regular shift after traveling most of the day.
Craig Darby and Trevor Linden had Montreal's other goals, while goalie Jeff Hackett made 29 saves as the Canadiens beat Buffalo for the fourth consecutive time.
Savage's goal came on a great individual effort.
Patrice Brisbois helped create the goal by blasting a shot from close range. Sabres goalie Dominik Hasek made the stop but couldn't control the rebound, which bounced in front of him. Savage, falling after being pushed from behind by Woolley, batted the loose puck behind Hasek with 10:20 remaining.
"Right place at the right time," said Savage. "That's where I've got to go. I've been getting most (goals) all year by getting placement in front."
Added Canadiens' coach Alain Vigneault: "I think that's the only way you can score against Hasek. I mean, usually that's the second shot that is going to go in."
The Canadiens never trailed despite being out-shot 31-20 and 28-12 through 45 minutes of play.
Jason Woolley and Maxim Afinogenov scored for the Sabres, who are 2-5-1 in their last eight games.
Gilmour received red-carpet treatment from the Sabres.
After flying in from Fort Lauderdale on Sabres owner John Rigas' company jet, Gilmour got a police escort from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport to the downtown arena, arriving about an hour before game time.
"It was pretty cool," said Gilmour, describing the ride in front seat of the police car.
Asked if he had ever arrived in a new city in this fashion before, Gilmour smiled and said, "In the front seat (of a police car)? No."
Gilmour said he's fully recovered from his rib injury that forced him to miss the Blackhawks last four games.
Brought in as much for his offensive ability as for his experience and leadership skills, Gilmour said he understands his role in Buffalo and what the Sabres have to do to get in the playoffs.
"With 13 games left, we have to be focused each and every night and somehow pull this out and, you're right, that's why I was brought here so hopefully I can have some kind of impact," said Gilmour, who had 22 goals and 56 points in 63 games with the Blackhawks this season.
Along with missing captain Michael Peca (dislocated shoulder) and Geoff Sanderson (knee sprain), the Sabres were also missing defenseman Alexei Zhitnik, listed day-to-day with a broken finger.
Christian Laflamme, acquired in Thursday's four-player deal with Edmonton, made his Canadiens debut.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Montreal Clubhouse
Buffalo Clubhouse
Sabres strike again; acquire Gilmour to go with Gratton
RECAPS
Montreal 3
Buffalo 2
New Jersey 9
Atlanta 0
Boston 5
Carolina 3
Florida 4
Tampa Bay 3
Detroit 3
Nashville 1
NY Islanders 4
Dallas 3
Colorado 4
Edmonton 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brian Savage tips in the slap shot for the goal.
avi: 1000 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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