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+
Through three games, the Montreal Canadiens’ second-round series is playing out in the reverse of the opening round versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first series, the Lightning tried to be physically imposing after each whistle in an attempt to throw the Habs off, but realizing that wasn’t working spent the energy on playing a possession style instead that was more effective. However, they’d already allowed Montreal to claim two wins by the time head coach Jon Cooper figured that out.
The Buffalo Sabres had luck on their side in Game 1, but were consistently in the offensive zone to get a handful of bounces and ended up with a 4-2 win. In the last two games after the Canadiens got accustomed to the new style of play of their opponent, Buffalo’s response to the improved tactics has become resorting to post-whistle altercations trying to get themselves back into games. Instead, the results have been blowouts, the first time in this post-season that there have been multiple games decided by at least four goals.
It’s probably not Lindy Ruff’s plan to have his team play that way, but rather another case of a young team playing immaturely. We witnessed that in the Philadelphia Flyers’ games that featured several instances of Rick Tocchet yelling at his players after some unprofessional play. That’s something the Canadiens, the youngest team in this post-season, have avoided in their roster construction, and is a big reason why they’ve gotten to this point. They wouldn’t have gotten past the Lightning if that was their response to adversity, and probably wouldn’t have recovered from the opening loss to hold a 2-1 series lead over Buffalo in this round, either. A Habs team expected to contend for the next decade isn’t taking this early run for a Stanley Cup for granted, and is halfway to advancing to the conference finals because of that mindset.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistics | Sabres |
|---|---|---|
| 47.6% | Expected-goal share | 52.1% |
| 2.90 | Goals per game | 3.00 |
| 2.20 | Goals against per game | 2.78 |
| 20.5% | PP% | 11.1% |
| 80.5% | PK% | 82.8% |
| Alex Newhook (5) | Most goals | Alex Tuch (4) |
| Lane Hutson (7) | Most assists | Tage Thompson (6) |
| Nick Suzuki (9) | Most points | Tage Thompson (9) |
That maturity allowed them to be unfazed by an early goal against in Game 3. The team understood that it was going to be a fast start from a team that had just lost big on home ice. When Tage Thompson scored after an extended shift in the offensive zone, they simply waited for the storm to subside for their opportunity. That shift came when Nick Suzuki was interfered with on a counter-attack out of the defensive zone about eight minutes into the first period, and the Canadiens carried the momentum from that point right to the end of the second period. When the siren sounded after 40 minutes, the Habs had a 29-18 shot advantage, had scored four consecutive goals (potentially even a fifth) before a second tally from Buffalo, and had full command on the contest.
Right now it seems that there’s little that can stop the Canadiens’ momentum. All the lines and even the defence pairings are getting in on the offence. The one concern is that Buffalo’s power play, which had been ice-cold in the opening series versus Boston and booed ruthlessly by Sabres fans in the first two games, looked very dangerous on Sunday. Rasmus Dahlin scored 16 seconds into one power play and another man advantage early in the third featured half a dozen chances that could have been goals if not for the effort of Jakub Dobeš.
It may have been the loudest ovations of the night that followed that two-minute performance from the goaltender that Thompson described as “deflating” after the game. Buffalo would have taken a lot of momentum with a goal in the opening six minutes of the third period, and instead saw the needle flip to the opposite side of the dial with a critical penalty kill from the netminder.
Admitting that the crowd is getting to you maybe isn’t the best thing for the Sabres’ top player to say post-game, perhaps another element of the immaturity of a group of players seeing its first NHL playoff action. The fans are already loud at every opportunity to support the Habs, and now they have confirmation that they’re getting in the heads of the opponent as well.
