2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 4: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
MTL leads 2-1
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+
Lindy Ruff has made two lineup changes for Game 4. Sam Carrick is out after playing on Sunday, though it seems to be more of a coach’s decision than from any injury from Arber Xhekaj’s fine-worthy punch at the end of the previous match, as he participated in practice this morning. It could be that Carrick was just not recovered enough from the injury that was initially slated to keep him out of the entire series. Konsta Helenius, the Rochester Americans’ leading scorer with 66 points in 66 games in the AHL, will draw into the lineup tonight as the Sabres try to match the offence that Canadiens have been producing.
On defence, Buffalo will swap out one of the defencemen they acquired from the Winnipeg Jets for the other, as Logan Stanley makes way for Luke Schenn. Schenn managed seven points and was a -12 through 50 games in the regular season, and will be playing his first post-season game of 2026 looking to be a physical presence in Buffalo’s zone.
No changes are necessary on Montreal’s side after a second consecutive blowout win. This series’ newcomer, Joe Veleno, had a very strong Game 3 with a nice assist on Zachary Bolduc’s goal, and his speed has been helpful for the Canadiens to keep the pressure on. If he manages to get a second NHL playoff point tonight, you have to expect that Montreal will be in great position to win a third game in a row.
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: Owen Beck, Adam Engström, Brendan Gallagher, Oliver Kapanen, Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeault, David Reinbacher, Jayden Struble, Florian Xhekaj
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 | #94 Konsta Helenius | #22 Jack Quinn |
| #12 Jordan Greenway | #71 Ryan McLeod | #29 Beck Malenstyn |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| #26 Rasmus Dahlin | #23 Mattias Samuelsson |
| #4 Bowen Byram | #25 Owen Power |
| #5 Luke Schenn | #21 Conor Timmins |
| Starter | Backup |
|---|---|
| #1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | #34 Alex Lyon |
Injured: Sam Carrick, Justin Danforth, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund
Scratched: Josh Dunne, Colten Ellis, Michael Kesselring, Tyson Kozak, Zach Metsa, Tanner Pearson, Logan Stanley
