Having lost the series opener 4-2 on Wednesday, the Habs went into the night's game trying to avoid going down 2-0 to the Atlantic Division winners.
It did not take them long to go in front, as just 96 seconds into the contest, Kaiden Guhle's was tipped under Alex Lyon's pads by Alex Newhook and into the net.
A few minutes later, and Montreal doubled their lead. Off a face-off, the Michael Mattheson created some space before firing a shot into the top corner. Lyon had no chance as the puck flew past him before he could get across his goal.
But the Habs were not done there. A little less than five minutes after the first intermission, they went up 3-0. Going the other way, Jake Evans fed an inch-perfect pass to Newhook, who was faster than his marker to direct the puck into the goal and get his second of the night.
Now with their backs behind the wall, the Sabres tried to get going in front of goal. Just as it looked as if they would head into the third period three goals down, the home team got on the board.
Some good work from Zach Benson saw him win the puck back behind the goal. After dishing it back out, the pass from Connor Timmins found Benson, who scored from close range to get his team on the board.
The Canadiens ended up outshooting the Sabres 27-26 in the game, and retook the three-goal cushion early on in the third. An error from Owen Power saw him lose possession of the puck. Alexandre Carrierw as the benefactor as he raced in on a 2-on-1. His shot found the net once more, sending the away fans into jubilation.
Nick Suzuki rounded out the scoring towards the end with an empty netter to complete the 5-1 win for the Habs.
The series goes to the Bell Centre in Quebec tied 1-1. Game 3 will go on Sunday.