Kovalchuk scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 3-1 win over Buffalo.

EDGE Analysis

Kovalchuk was moved to a new line to accommodate the return of Brendan Gallagher (concussion), and the veteran had no issues meshing with Joel Armia and Nick Suzuki. He finished off a sequence of events in tight quarters near the net, lifting the puck to the far top corner over goalie Carter Hutton for the game-tying score early in the second period. The goal was his fourth in the last four games and fifth in 10 games since he joined Montreal.