First period
- So much for a better start from Montreal. A shot from the point takes a double deflection of Jason Zucker and then Mike Matheson’s heel to get behind Dobeš, and Montreal is chasing after not being ready for the start of the game once again.
- Kirby Dach gets Montreal first two chances of the game, trying to bank the puck in off the side of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s head, then getting a rebound chance at the side of the net.
- As they usually do, the Canadiens manage to tie the game quickly. The puck is turned over by Buffalo right to Juraj Slafkovský in the slot. He gets it over to Nick Suzuki, and the captain shows great patience to get Luukkonen down on the ice before passing it over to Cole Caufield for a tap-in.
Nick Suzuki waits it out, and sets up Cole Caufield for a tap-in 1-1 game early in Buffalo!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 8:21 PM
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- Dach gets another great chance, this time at the opposite side of the net. He’s looking sharp in his opening shifts.
- Caufield’s next shift isn’t as good as his last one. His turnover allows the Sabres to stay in the zone, and another shot through a screen makes it 2-1 Buffalo.
- Nine seconds later, Alexandre Carrier fires the puck toward his namesake at the side of the Buffalo net, and Alexandre Texier has it go off his outside skate and in to tie the game once again.
Incredible bank job by Alexandre Carrier off of Texier's skate and it's 2-2!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 8:27 PM
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- Shots are 10-3 Montreal midway through the period, so they have responded very well after the early goal even the scoreboard suggests an even game.
- The fourth Sabres goal is the third one that beats Dobeš. A relatively harmless shot from Konsta Helenius catches the goalie off-guard and it beats him five-hole.
- Now the Sabres are the only team getting shots as the Habs can’t complete their neutral-zone passes.
- Arber Xhekaj makes sure Dobeš is still awake with a backhand pass from the side of the net that goes off his goalie’s toe. The last thing Montreal needs is an own goal right now.
- Buffalo has gone into defensive mode now. They do play it very well when they want to.
- Newhook tries to make a lateral pass to get out of his zone and leads to another long offensive-zone shift for Buffalo. Kaiden Guhle saves the day with a critical block of a cross-ice pass.
- A sloppy period from almost every member of the Canadiens in their own zone, including their goalie, has them trailing, but just by one goal with 40 more minutes to play. They had seven high-danger chances to Buffalo’s two, but they need to make more effective plays to get out of their own zone to build on that number.
Second period
- A low-event second period until about three minutes in, when the top line, Matheson, and Hutson get trapped in their own zone for over a minute. Dobeš bails them out on that occasion.
- It’s a real struggle for Montreal to get of the defensive zone, and it’s all because they can’t complete a quick pass to a teammate to escape the forechecking pressure.
- It’s concerning that most of the top line’s shifts are being spent in their own zone, unable to touch the puck.
- Joe Veleno spins off his man and gets to the slot for a backhand shot. Luukkonen guessing the wrong way for the shot, but makes the save with his toe.
- The pressure leads to a Buffalo icing, and Lane Hutson sets up Josh Anderson for another tap-in goal as Montreal ties the game following their first dangerous moment of the period.
Lane Hutson burns Alex Tuch, and Josh Anderson has a tap-in goal 3-3!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 9:23 PM
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- Two great chances for Ivan Demidov in the slot are sent just wide.
- Buffalo ices the puck again trying to escape Veleno’s speed. Will this shift end like the last one?
- No goal, but it’s all Montreal right now.
- The Sabres turn the puck over at their blue line. It comes to Carrier, who makes a great pass across the ice to Demidov, but his shovel deflection doesn’t have as much on it as the winger wanted and floats into the pads of Luukkonen.
- Phillip Danault gets the puck in the slot but goes off-balance trying to quickly go backhand to forehand with an open net in front of him and fires it wide.
- Slafkovský makes a pass back to the point and then taps Josh Doan in the side of the helmet as he goes by. The first penalty of the game will be high-sticking to Montreal.
- Another dangerous power play for Buffalo. It’s probably a good thing that they’re hard to come by tonight.
- Demidov gets another chance, and gets this one to squeak through Luukkonen. It doesn’t have enough momentum to get over the goal line, but Jake Evans swoops in to give it the final touch and put Montreal in the lead for the first time.
Demidov sneaks a shot through, and Jake Evans gets the final touch to make it 4-3 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 9:43 PM
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- That line stays on the ice after the goal, and draws a penalty from Tage Thompson as he just decides to cross-check Evans in the face.
- Nothing fancy about that power play. Slafkovský wins the puck off the wall, gives it to Suzuki, and the captain makes it 5-3 after 10 seconds of power-play time.
Nick Suzuki is that guy…5-3 Habs!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 9:46 PM
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- Carrier seals the puck against the boards behind Dobeš, and Montreal has turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead after a a great final 13 minutes or so. Credit to Veleno who was the first to break Buffalo’s pressure with an offensive foray and forced icings, setting the stage for Montreal’s takeover.
Third period
- We know what happens now. Buffalo’s defencemen become the catalysts for the offence. If Montreal’s forwards can create a turnover at the blue line, there will either be odd-man rushes or chances against forwards forced to front the counter-attack.
- Alex Lyon is now in the net.
- As expected, a two-on-one develops at the end of an opening shift of pressure for Buffalo. Slafkovský keeps, but hits the post.
- Rasmus Dahlin has Demidov go around him on a path across the top of the crease and cross-checks the Habs forward in the collarbone. Montreal is back on the power play looking for the killing blow.
- Demidov is everywhere on this power play. Quarter-backing, rotating high in the zone to keep the puck moving. And he ends it with a shot to the top corner for his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal.
Absolutely disgusting snipe by Ivan Demdiov and it's a 6-3 Habs lead!
— Scott Matla (@scottmatla.bsky.social) May 14, 2026 at 10:14 PM
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- I don’t know what Ruff can do about the penalties now. Bench Thompson, Power, and Dahlin I suppose.
- His immediately reaction is to put his lines in a blender desperately seeking some offence.
- Demidov makes a backhand pass to Noah Dobson that was so good Dobson was surprised it got to him, and he then Dobson took too long the get the shot off.
- With 10 minutes played, the puck is in Montreal’s zone a lot especially when Zach Benson, Josh Norris, and Josh Doan are on, but Dobeš is back to his usual form and swallowing up the shots.
- Power goes back for a puck and is expecting it to be just an easy rim around to his defence partner, but Texier is hunting him down a makes a stick-check, Power goes off-balance and falls awkwardly into the boards, and is slow going to the bench.
- Lyon goes to the bench with 6:30 left on the clock.
- Hutson pushes the puck-carrier with his stick, and is getting called for cross-checking. Anderson is also going off for a whack at the end of the play, but so is Byram, so just the one-man advantage for Buffalo that they will turn into an empty-net six-on-four.
- There’s a pick at the blue line, and then Dahlin goes in to spray Dobeš with a snow shower. It remains a Buffalo power play, however.
- The Habs see out the time to a loud “Olé!” that drowns out the boos of the remaining Sabres fans, and they will take a 3-2 series lead back to the Bell Centre.
- Six skaters on the ice is a chance for Buffalo to tag team Montreal’s defencemen after the whistle sounds. Everyone is fine after the juvenile antics, and the game is over.
- Game 6 goes Saturday night, the first Saturday game of the playoffs for Montreal as they look to advance to the conference finals.
EOTP 3 Stars
3) The top guys are getting involved now, which is a great sign
2) I’d buy that book
1) It was even more impressive than that
