BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Montreal captain Max Pacioretty liked what he saw from the new-look Canadiens in getting off to a successful start to the season.And Brendan Gallagher looks like hes ready to bounce back from an injury-shortened season.Gallagher scored twice while newcomers Shea Weber, Andrew Shaw and backup goalie Al Montoya made significant contributions in a 4-1 season-opening victory over the injury-depleted Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.You want them to feel comfortable and whether you admit it or not, when you get that first goal or point or win, it takes a little bit of stress off you, Pacioretty said. And Im glad it came early for those guys. They played great.Weber, acquired in a trade that sent P.K. Subban to Nashville, provided grit to Montreals defense and added an assist, when his hard rising shot from inside the blue line was tipped in by Gallagher to put the Canadiens ahead 3-1. Shaw, acquired in a trade with Chicago, scored and Montoya stopped 30 shots in filling in for Carey Price, who is sidelined with the flu.A bit of nerves coming in, Montoya said. I wasnt trying to steal the game. Ive got a good team in front of me. They were fun to watch.Montoya will get a second consecutive start at Ottawa on Saturday after the Canadiens announced Price will not travel.There was no fun for the Sabres, whose injurie woes grew when forward Evander Kane was taken to the hospital for further evaluation after he slammed heavily into the end boards late in the second period.Coach Dan Bylsma had no immediate update on Kanes status, except to say the player was being evaluated for a lot of things internally.Kanes injury is the latest setback for a team that was already reeling a day after second-year star center Jack Eichel sprained his left ankle during practice.Well, theres a little bit of shake your head and snake-bitten a little bit, Bylsma said. You expect to have (injuries) throughout your lineup, and unfortunately you have a rash of them. But thats no excuse for how we need to play. Weve got to keep fighting through it.Kane was doubled-over in pain as he was escorted off the ice. He was hurt while racing Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin for a loose puck up the left wing in the Montreal zone. Kane reached out for the puck when the two bumped. Kane lost his balance, fell and slid with his left elbow slamming into the boards.The Sabres were also playing minus top-line forward Kyle Okposo (knee) and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (bruised backside).Matt Moulson scored a power-play goal for Buffalo to briefly cut Montreals lead to 2-1 in the opening minute of the third period.The Canadiens responded with two goals in just under five minutes.Gallagher tipped in Webers shot 6:43 into the third. Shaw then scored by capping a frantic scramble in front after goalie Robin Lehner had already made two stops. Torrey Mitchell also scored for Montreal.We did a lot of good things, Canadiens coach Michel Therrien said. Theres still things that we need to work on and its normal. But its really early in the season. But overall youve got to be satisfied with the win.Game notesBefore the game, the Sabres announced they signed general manager Tim Murray to a multiyear contract extension. Murray was hired in January 2014, and was entering the final year of his contract. ... At 18 years and 110 days, Canadiens rookie first-round draft pick Mikhail Sergachev became the fourth-youngest player and youngest defenseman to play a regular-season game in team history. ... Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan listed Eichel on his injury report, and then joked he had no comment about Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews scoring four goals in his debut. Nah, Ryan added, it was pretty amazing wasnt it? ... Eichel had his left leg perched on a scooter in making a brief appearance in the Sabres tunnel during pre-game introductions.UP NEXT:Canadiens: At Ottawa on Saturday.Sabres: Play at Edmonton on Sunday in opening four-game road swing.Wholesale Lakers Jerseys . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Custom Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Stitched Lakers Jerseys . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. Lakers Jerseys 2020 . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early.CHANDLER, Okla. -- James Jimbo Elrod, an All-American defensive end who played on Oklahomas 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, died in a car wreck Monday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said. He was 62.The single-vehicle crash happened at about 3:45 a.m. on Interstate 44 near Chandler, about 60 miles southwest of Tulsa. The patrol said Elrod was killed after his 2015 Lexus struck a guardrail, ejecting him through the vehicles sun roof. A preliminary report says Elrod was not wearing a seatbelt and that a passenger was taken to an Oklahoma City hospital in serious condition. According to the school, the passenger was his wife, Diana.This is a very sad day for the OU football family, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. Jimbo was an All-American player and person, a great friend of our program who loved his Sooners. He was a true joy to be around, and we will miss him dearly. We wish Diana the absolute best in her recovery and are praying for Jimbos entire family on this extremely difficult day.Elrod was also a member of Oklahomas 1974 national champion wrestling team.Great wrestler and a great footballl player, said Barry Switzer, who coached those championship football teams.dddddddddddd Wrestling is what made Jimbo such a great football player. It gave him great upper-body strength and quickness. He could really run. He was a tenacious player and a competitor. He was really good and he was a member of a great group at Oklahoma.Elrod played three years in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Houston Oilers.In his younger days, he left quite an impression when he walked into the room.Jimbo has always been an 18-year-old guy to me because thats what he was when I signed him, Switzer said. He always had movie-star looks and a lot of hair. I was always jealous of his hair. Everybody was.Its the second fatal crash this year in Oklahoma involving a football standout. In October, former NFL defensive lineman Dennis Byrd died in a two-vehicle wreck on an Oklahoma highway.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. ' ' '