5/8/26 – 7:00 pm at KeyBank Center, in Buffalo, NY
TV – US – TNT and HBOMax, Canada – CBC Hockey Night In Canada
Buffalo – 50-23-9 | – 109 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division
Montreal – 48-24-10 | – 106 points – 3rd place in the Atlantic Division
Special Teams
Buffalo
Power Play(Reg) – 19.5% (21st)
Power Play(Playoffs) – 3 for 27 – 11.1% (13th)
Penalty Kill(Reg) – 81.9% (4th)
Penalty Kill(Playoffs) – 15 for 18 – 83.3% (10th)
Montreal
Power Play(Reg) – 23.1% (10th)
Power Play(Playoffs) – 6 for 28 – 21.4% (5th)
Penalty Kill(Reg) – 78.2% (18th)
Penalty Kill(Playoffs) – 78.1% – 25 for 32 (13th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Alex Tuch: 7 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
Tage Thompson: 7 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
Bowen Byram: 7 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS
Montreal
Nick Suzuki: 8 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
Lane Hutson: 8 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS
Zach Bolduc: 8 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Alex Lyon (4-1, 1.30 GAA, .950 Sv %)
Montreal – Jakub Dobes (4-4, 2.28 GAA, .910 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Canadiens Sluggish In Game 1 Loss
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings (projected)
Forwards
Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Josh Norris – Josh Doan
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Tyson Kozak – Beck Malenstyn
Ex., Tanner Pearson,, Josh Dunne, Sam Carrick
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power – Bowen Byram
Logan Stanley – Conor Timmins
Ex. Luke Schenn, Michael Kesselring, Zach Metsa
Goaltenders
Alex Lyon
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Colten Ellis
Injuries
Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve – out for the season)
Noah Ostlund (lower body, Apr 28; week-to-week)
Other Stats Leaders
Shots: Thompson (26), Dahlin (25), Tuch (21) Hits: Malenstyn (27), Samuelsson/Tuch (21), Greenway (20)
Blocked Shots: Timmins (15), Dahlin/Tuch (9), Samuelsson/Stanley (8)
Notes
This season marks the first time the Sabres have advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they advanced to the 2007 Eastern Conference Final. The Sabres have earned three playoff series victories over the Canadiens in franchise history. Buffalo last faced Montreal in the playoffs in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series in which the Sabres won four games to none. The Sabres also defeated the Canadiens three games to none in the 1983 Adams Division Semifinals and four games to two in the 1975 Semifinals.
Entering this series, Buffalo’s most recent playoff victory over Montreal was on May 14, 1998 (3-1). Donald Audette, Matthew Barnaby and Miroslav Satan each scored and Dominik Hasek stopped 37 of 38 Canadiens shots in the series-clinching game. Buffalo has allowed two or fewer goals in five consecutive games (seven goals against), tied for the longest such streak by the Sabres in the playoffs all-time. The Sabres last did so from April 25 to May 4, 2007 (nine goals against). Buffalo’s seven goals allowed in this five-game span are tied for the fewest by the Sabres in any five-game playoff span all-time (April 8 to 16, 1980). A win tonight would give Buffalo six consecutive playoff wins over Montreal, tied for the longest playoff winning streak by the Sabres against the Canadiens all-time (May 6, 1975 to April 5, 1990).
The Sabres are the only team in NHL history to record multiple playoff winning streaks of five or more games against the Canadiens. Boston (April 29, 1991 to April 16, 1994; six games), NY Rangers (April 21, 1996 to May 19, 2014; six games) and Philadelphia (April 26, 2008 to May 18, 2010; six games) are the only other NHL teams to defeat Montreal in six straight playoff meetings.
In his last four games, Zach Benson has posted five points (2+3), including two points in back-to-back contests. Benson (0+2 in Game 1) became the first NHL skater age 20 or younger to record multiple points in consecutive playoff games since Bowen Byram from May 23 to 25, 2022 with Colorado (two games; 0+4). He was the first NHL forward to accomplish that feat since Mitch Marner from April 14 to 16, 2018 (two games; 1+3). A multi-point performance tonight would make Benson the first NHL skater age 20 or younger to record multiple points in three or more consecutive playoff games since Patrick Kane from April 27 to May 2, 2009 (three games; 4+2). He would join Sidney Crosby, Wayne Gretzky (twice), Kane and Don Maloney as the only NHL skaters age 20 or younger to do so at least once. An assist tonight would make Benson the first Sabres skater age 20 or younger to record a three-game assist streak in the playoffs since Kevin Haller from April 7 to 11, 1991 (0+4).
Alex Lyon has allowed seven total goals in six appearances in the playoffs, the fewest goals allowed in any six-game span in the playoffs by a Sabres goaltender all-time. It is the first time a goaltender has allowed seven or fewer goals in their first six playoff games with a team since Carter Hart from August 2 to 18, 2020 with Philadelphia (7). Lyon has posted a .950 save percentage in his first six appearances in the playoffs, trailing only Dominik Hasek (April 22 to May 8, 1998, .951; April 21 to May 9, 1999, .953) for the best mark by a Sabres goaltender in any six-game span in the playoffs. It is the best save percentage by a Sabres goaltender in their first six playoff appearances with Buffalo alltime.
Bowen Byram has recorded six points (4+2) in seven playoff games thus far. • His four goals are the most by a Sabres defenseman in any seven-game span in the playoffs since Mike Ramsey from April 9 to 22, 1983 (four goals). Byram is one goal away from recording the most goals by a Sabres defenseman in a single playoff year all-time.
Peyton Krebs has registered six points (2+4) in seven playoff games thus far and his plus-7 rating through the team’s first seven playoff games is tied with Byram and Alex Tuch for the team lead. Krebs and Tuch are the first Sabres forwards since Chris Drury (plus-8) and Derek Roy (plus-9) to record a plus/minus of plus-7 or better in any seven-game playoff span. It is the best plus/minus by a Sabres forward in their first seven playoff games of a season since Miroslav Satan from April 21 to June 8, 1999 (plus-7).
Alex Tuch has posted seven points (4+3) in the playoffs. He leads all Sabres skaters in goals and is tied with Tage Thompson for the team lead in points. With a point tonight, Tuch and/or Thompson would become the first Sabres skater(s) to register eight or more points in their first eight playoff games with Buffalo since Daniel Briere (3+8), Tim Connolly (5+6), Chris Drury (4+6), Mike Grier (3+5) and Derek Roy (3+5) all did so from April 22 to May 8, 2006.
Tage Thompson has registered four assists in his last four games. An assist in tonight’s game would make Thompson the first Sabres forward to record five or more assists in any five-game span in the playoffs since Dainius Zubrus from April 12 to 20, 2007 (5).
In his last four games, Josh Doan has registered five points (2+3), including at least one point in each of his last two contests. Doan would join Thompson (three games; April 26 to May 1; 0+4) and Owen Power (four games; April 19 to 26; 0+4) as the only Sabres skaters with assist streaks of three or more games in the playoffs with an assist tonight.
Rasmus Dahlin has tallied three points (1+2) in his last three games. Entering play on Thursday and among all NHL defensemen with at least 50 minutes of time on ice at 5-on-5 in the playoffs, Dahlin ranks first in expected goals for percentage (69.22). Among those defensemen, Dahlin ranked second in scoring chances for percentage (68.18) and high-danger chances for percentage (65.91).
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