After earning a split on the road with a big win in game two, the Montreal Canadiens were welcomed back to the Bell Centre by a raucous crowd for game three on Sunday night. They rewarded their fans with a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres, and an even more complete performance this time around. For the first time in the playoffs, they’ve won back-to-back games, and have a chance to take a stranglehold on this series in front of what promises to be another epic Bell Centre turnout for game four on Tuesday night.
At the end of the game, fans were chanting “MVP” for Lane Hutson, who has been nothing short of spectacular since being openly upset with his performance in game one.
Caufield has been incredibly snake bitten, so Lane Hutson dangles and gives him one that's impossible to miss.
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) May 11, 2026
2-1 #Habs pic.twitter.com/qUgIl82ZIm
Cole Caufield has been incredibly snake-bitten in this series. In this game alone, he had two great chances prior to his goal where he missed a wide-open net, and rang the other off the bar. The broadcast on TVA kept wondering what it would take to get him going, because it felt like he was consistently in the right position to make something happen, but just couldn’t find the net. What it took was an absurd effort from Hutson, who made this one so easy that Caufield could have scored with his eyes closed.
And Hutson spent essentially the entire night looking for ways to facilitate offensive opportunities. He was dangling opponents on a level that seemed crazy even for him, fighting through checks along the walls and often taking hits in order to be able to make a play. He was truly leading his team from the point and pulling out every trick from his bag as he frustrated the Sabres nearly every time he touched the puck.
He was hard on himself after game one. What he’s done since is put up three points through two games, and been one of the best players on the ice for either team in helping his side take the series lead.
Lane Hutson is in his bag tonight folks pic.twitter.com/oQGji08vMs
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) May 11, 2026
Buffalo are a very aggressive team on the forecheck and in puck pursuit, which has been a difficult thing for the Habs to deal with at times. It is a double-edged sword, however, as when the Habs can get through that wave of pressure, they often find themselves with odd-man situations into the offensive zone. They’re capitalizing on a fair portion of those opportunities, and game three saw Buffalo struggle more than they have at any point in the series so far to generate scoring chances.
Hutson isn’t alone out there on defence, either. Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Carrier, and Arber Xhekaj have all fared very well against that aggression in the defensive zone, and they seem to have found their rhythm as a group. But as suggested by the fans at the end of the game, the MVP of the group right now is Hutson, and if he can maintain his current level through the remaining games of this series, they’ll get a chance to test themselves against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t even been given a dose of adversity yet.
One thing at a time, however. Right now, they’re laser focused on taking down the Buffalo Sabres, and with Lane Hutson leading the way, they’ve put themselves in a position to succeed.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back on Tuesday night after game four.
