2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 3: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 1-1
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the United States: ESPN
Streaming: Sportsnet+
With the faceoffs decidedly in the Montreal Canadiens’ favour, 62-42 after two games, the Buffalo Sabres will be inserting Sam Carrick onto the fourth line tonight, hoping that the one player they had who finished the season above 50% at the dots will help to even out that tally. He’s entered in the lineup as the fourth-line centre, but might get some spot duty at other critical times. He was originally set to miss the entirety of this round before the situation changed, so only he and the coaching staff will now how much he can bring to the table. Carrick had six points in the 13 games he played with the Sabres during the regular season after being acquired from the New York Rangers at the deadline, only averaging about a minute on the penalty kill in that time.
The Canadiens won’t need to change much with this alteration to the opposing lineup, save for perhaps having to do a little more work after losing a few more draws. They’ve scored seven goals in the series and hit three posts, along with several other prime scoring that have glanced off goaltender Alex Lyon. Offence isn’t nearly as rare as it was in the opening round, and they can outscore the Sabres with the quality of their offensive depth.
What they will have to be mindful of is a fast start from a team that lost big in Game 2 and will be desperate to score a quick goal and play with a lead again. As in the first two games, Zach Benson is the most likely catalyst of that effort, the player on the roster who brings his all to every shift and the one the Canadiens need to work the hardest to keep or get the puck away from.
Montreal Canadiens projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #13 Cole Caufield | #14 Nick Suzuki | #20 Juraj Slafkovský |
| #15 Alex Newhook | #71 Jake Evans | #93 Ivan Demidov |
| #76 Zachary Bolduc | #90 Joe Veleno | #77 Kirby Dach |
| #85 Alexandre Texier | #24 Phillip Danault | #17 Josh Anderson |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #21 Kaiden Guhle | #48 Lane Hutson |
| #8 Mike Matheson | #45 Alexandre Carrier |
| #72 Arber Xhekaj | #53 Noah Dobson |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #75 Jakub Dobeš | #32 Jacob Fowler |
Scratched: Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault, Jayden Struble
Buffalo Sabres projected lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| #19 Peyton Krebs | #72 Tage Thompson | #89 Alex Tuch |
| #6 Zach Benson | #9 Josh Norris | #91 Josh Doan |
| #17 Jason Zucker | #71 Ryan McLeod | #22 Jack Quinn |
| #12 Jordan Greenway | #10 Sam Carrick | #29 Beck Malenstyn |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #26 Rasmus Dahlin | #23 Mattias Samuelsson |
| #4 Bowen Byram | #25 Owen Power |
| #64 Logan Stanley | #21 Conor Timmins |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #34 Alex Lyon | #1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen |
Injured: Justin Danforth, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund
Scratched: Josh Dunne, Colten Ellis, Michael Kesselring, Tyson Kozak, Zach Metsa, Tanner Pearson, Luke Schenn
