Sean Farrell – NHL.com Correspondent

MONTREAL — Alex Galchenyuk had his third straight two-goal game, Torrey Mitchell scored the go-ahead goal with 6:39 remaining in the third period and the Montreal Canadiens edged the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 at Bell Centre on Thursday despite losing defenseman P.K. Subban to injury.

Subban was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he was injured in a collision with partner Alexei Emelin in the right corner with 2:26 remaining in the third period. Subban threw off his gloves and fell to the ice in obvious pain after his head was pushed downwards suddenly when Emelin inadvertently backed into him along the boards.

The capacity crowd fell to a hush as medical staff rushed out to attend to Subban, who lay on his back on the ice. He was immobilized from head to toe before he was taken off.

Mike Condon made 36 saves for Montreal (32-30-6), which has won two straight since returning from an 0-3-1 road trip.

Galchenyuk, who played his third straight game at center, scored his 24th goal, tying Max Pacioretty for the team lead, at 9:09 of the second. It came nine seconds after Nicolas Deslauriers gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead.

He scored his second goal of the game, his 11th in the past eight games and team-leading 25th, on a power play with 44 seconds remaining in the period.

Galchenyuk, who missed on a shot at an empty net, is the first Canadiens player with three consecutive multiple-goal games since Brian Savage achieved that feat Oct. 25-28, 1995.

Brian Gionta got the Sabres even at 2-2 with his ninth goal at 5:10 of the third period. Evander Kane‘s shot from the left side hit the skates of the Sabres’ captain and deflected into the net.

But Mitchell scored his eighth goal at 13:21 to restore Montreal’s lead at 3-2. He snapped a shot past Robin Lehner from the lower right circle.

Lehner made 31 saves for Buffalo (27-33-9), which lost 4-2 to the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Deslauriers reached out his stick to tip Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe‘s shot over Condon’s glove and into the net off the right post to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 9:00 of the second period.

Public address announcer Michel Lacroix had just begun announcing Deslauriers’ goal when Galchenyuk tied it at 1-1. Pacioretty got an assist when his pass from behind the net bounced off Lehner and went to Galchenyuk, who was left uncovered in front of the net and fired a shot past the Buffalo goalie.

Subban got his team-leading 45th assist when Galchenyuk put the Canadiens ahead 2-1. From the left boards, forward Sven Andrighetto sent a centering pass to Galchenyuk, who beat Lehner from the goalmouth.

Galchenyuk has five two-goal games in his past eight games. He is tied with Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames for the NHL lead with seven multi-goal games.

(Reprinted with permission of the Buffalo Sabres)