BUFFALO, N.Y. — Jonathan Drouin scored the lone shootout goal and the Montreal Canadiens rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in the season opener for both teams Thursday night.

Phillip Danault forced overtime by scoring a short-handed goal on a wraparound with 11:59 left. Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal. Carey Price stopped 43 shots through overtime and all three shootout attempts following an offseason in which he signed an eight-year, $84 million contract.

Jason Pominville scored twice in his first game back with Buffalo since being reacquired in a trade with Minnesota in June. Robin Lehner stopped 38 shots, but the Sabres settled for one point in Phil Housley’s debut as coach.

Jack Eichel set up Pominville’s second goal with a perfect cross-ice feed, two days after Eichel, a 20-year-old franchise player, signed an eight-year, $80 million extension.

Drouin settled the shootout by driving directly at Lehner. Faking to his left to catch Lehner leaning, Drouin went to his backhand and deposited the puck into the open right side.

Drouin also had an assist in his first game with Montreal since the Quebec-born player was acquired in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay.

AVALANCHE 4, RANGERS 2: Semyon Varlamov stopped 37 shots, Tyson Barrie scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and Colorado won in New York.

Matt Duchene and Mikko Rantanen scored in the first period, and Gabriel Landeskog added an empty-netter.

Mika Zibanejad tallied two power-play goals late in the first period for the Rangers, and Henrik Lundqvist had 22 saves. The loss spoiled Kevin Shattenkirk’s debut with the Rangers after he signed with his hometown team in the offseason.

RED WINGS 4, WILD 2: Henrik Zetterberg and Martin Frk scored in the third period to lift Detroit to a win in the first regular-season game at Little Caesars Arena.

Anthony Mantha and Dylan Larkin scored 23 seconds apart in the second period for the Red Wings, who blew a 2-0 lead early in the third. Joel Eriksson Ek and Chris Stewart scored 48 seconds apart to tie it before Zetterberg put Detroit back ahead with 12:53 remaining.

The Red Wings said goodbye to Joe Louis Arena in April and moved to a downtown venue they will share with the Detroit Pistons.

Even before the opening faceoff, fans were partaking in that old Detroit tradition of tossing octopi on the ice. The puck went across the goal line twice in the first period, but goaltender interference was called both times and the period ended scoreless.

Jimmy Howard had 37 saves for Detroit.

CAPITALS 5, SENATORS 4:  Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick in a 6:33 span in the third period and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the shootout winner in Washington’s road win.

NOTES

SENATORS: Ottawa signed defenseman Mark Borowiecki to a two-year, $2.4 million extension.

Borowiecki, 28, had a goal and two assists in a career-high 70 games last season, and led the NHL in hits (364) and penalty minutes (154).