The skinny: Steve Ott scored his second goal of the game at 2:16 of overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres a 3-2 win over the Canadiens Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Colby Armstrong, who was promoted to the third line after scoring his first goal of the season Saturday night in New Jersey, sent the game into overtime when he scored at 16:09 of the third period when he beat Jhonas Enroth in close. Alex Galchenyuk found Armstrong alone in front and he had time to go from his forehand to his backhand.

Enroth made 32 saves as he ran his lifetime record against the Canadiens to 3-0.

Still on top: The one point the Canadiens earned for prolonging the game allowed them to open a two-point lead on Boston in the Northeast division. The Bruins, who dropped a 3-1 decision in Winnipeg, still hold a game in hand.

Off on the wrong foot: The Canadiens have been known for their quick starts this season, but this wasn’t one of them. The Sabres took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by Ott and Tyler Myers. Ott scored on a long shot that found the inside of the post on Carey Price’s glove side at 7:47. There was a traffic jam in front of Price when Myers scored on a shot from the blue line at 18:59. It appeared that Thomas Vanek deflected the puck, but the goal was awarded to Myers.

Gally gets going: Max Pacioretty broke the ice for the Canadiens when he scored his ninth goal of the season at 7:04 of the third period. Rookie Brendan Gallagher did most of the work on the goal as he won a battle in the corner, took the puck behind the net and then eluded Myers and Cody Hodgson before feeding Pacioretty in the slot.

Sabres lose Vanek: Thomas Vanek, the Sabres’ leading scorer, left the game after he was struck on the foot by a Myers’ slapshot during a power-play. Vanek limped back to the bench but left for the dressing room after conferring with the Sabres’ trainer.

Tribute to Selke Junior: The Canadiens presented a scoreboard tribute to Frank Selke Jr. during the first period. Selke, who died Monday at the age of 83, worked for the Canadiens in a variety of positions from 1953 to 1967. He was the vice-president in charge of communications when he left to become president of the Oakland Seals. He later joined Hockey Night in Canada as the late Danny Gallivan’s broadcast partner.

What’s next: The Canadiens will get another crack at Buffalo when the Sabres return to the Bell Centre Saturday night, but first the Canadiens travel Thursday to Long Island where they hope to avenge a 6-3 loss to the Islanders on March 5.

phickey@montrealgazette.com

Twitter: @zababes1