Sabres' Montour sweeps Devils' Blackwood in NHL Gaming Challenge

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Brandon Montour credited superior preparation time as the difference in his three-game sweep of New Jersey Devils goalie Mackenzie Blackwood on Thursday in the NHL Player Gaming Challenge. Montour rolled to 4-2, 4-1 and 5-1 victories in the online video-game event.

Montour said, "I had more time to get ready for this game. He came on pretty late and had to get ready and do it, so I think I was more prepared, and I think that was all she wrote." Blackwood replied, "I'm going to be practicing all year for this one. Congrats, Brandon. The better player won today, and I'm just going to keep practicing at it.

The NHL Player Gaming Challenge is streaming action on Thursdays and Saturdays. All 31 NHL teams will have representation, and Seattle Seahawks tight end Luke Willson represented the pending NHL Seattle expansion team. No standings are being compiled, as the games are designed strictly for entertainment with the NHL season shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In connection with the event, the National Hockey League Foundation and Electronic Arts are donating $100,000 to the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 relief efforts. After Montour posted comfortable victories in the first two games using standard NHL rules, host broadcaster Alex Faust suggested they switch to the three-on-three format for the final game of the series.

Blackwood said with a laugh, "Let's change it up. This isn't working." However, the result remained the same in as Montour prevailed in the first-to-five-goals finale.

--Field Level Media

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