BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Sabres scored early and often Tuesday night in Montreal, ending an eight-game skid with a 7-2 rout of the Canadiens.

Rasmus Dahlin, JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch gave Buffalo a 3-0 lead in the opening 2:13 of the game, the seventh-fastest three goals in NHL history.

Jeff Skinner tallied two goals and three assists, Tage Thompson had a goal and three assists, and Henri Jokiharju scored his first of the season for the Sabres (8-11-0), who had gone nearly three weeks without notching a point in the standings. Craig Anderson made 29 saves.

The Sabres flurry of goals in the first period was the second-swiftest in team history. Tyler Meyers, Jochen Hecht and Clarke MacArthur scored in the first 2:11 of 5-3 win against Tampa Bay on Jan. 6, 2010.

Dahlin and Peterka’s goals in the first 52 seconds are behind only Rick Martin scoring twice in the first 49 seconds on Dec. 18, 1975 as the fastest in Sabres history.

The scoring surge came as the Sabres had a full lineup of healthy defensemen for the first time in a month, with Mattias Samuelsson returning after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury. Jokirharju was playing in his fourth game since missing 11 with a facial fracture.

Buffalo begins a three-game homestand Wednesday night, debuting its black-and-red “goat head” throwbacks on 90s night at KeyBank Center for the game against the St. Louis. On Friday night, the Sabres host former coach Lindy Ruff and the Devils, who have set a franchise record with 13 consecutive wins.