The skinny: A 37-save performance by Carey Price wasn’t enough Tuesday night as the Buffalo Sabres edged the Canadiens 3-1 at the Bell Centre. Paul Gaustad snapped a 1-1 tie when he took a centring pass from Brad Boyes and scored at 6:17 of the third period. Price was outstanding, but he received little in the way of offensive support on a night when the Canadiens were outshot. Ville Leino opened the scoring for Buffalo, while Patrick Kaleta scored an empty-netter.

What it means: The loss was another blow to the Canadiens’ dwindling playoff hopes because the four of the teams battling for the final two playoffs all picked up at least one point. The Canadiens now find themselves nine points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who moved into eighth place. To make matters worse, the the Islanders and the Tampa Bay Lightning moved ahead of the Canadiens, leaving them in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.

To the Max: The Canadiens opened the scoring when Max Pacioretty scored on a breakaway at 4:09 of the first period. After poking the puck past Matt Ellis at the Canadiens’ blue line, Pacioretty was foiled by Ryan Miller on his initial shot but he put the rebound between Miller’s pads. The goal was a career-high 18th of the season for Pacioretty. He has three goals in his last four games and six in his last seven.

Finding iron: The Sabres came close to tying the game twice in the first period, but Jason Pominville’s shot at 6:45 hit a post while Thomas Vanek put a shot off the crossbar at 11:20. Both shots went off Price’s pads.

Emelin makes presence felt: Rookie defenceman Alexei Emelin came up with two big plays during a Buffalo power play in the second period. He delivered a big hit to Pominville behind the Canadiens’ net and, moments later, he provided a helping hand for Price. The goalie left an opening after making a save, but Emelin threw himself in front of Pominville’s shot to save a goal.

PK something special: The top-ranked Montreal penalty-killing unit continues to be the bright spot as they weathered three Buffalo power plays. The Canadiens’ power play came up empty on its only opportunity.

What’s next: The Canadiens travel to New Jersey Thursday night and then return home for the traditional Super Bowl weekend matinees. The Washington Capitals are at the Bell Centre Saturday while the Winnipeg Jets are the visitors on Sunday. Both games start at 2 p.m.

phickey@montrealgazette.com

Read the game recap with Mike Boone at Hockey Inside/Out.