5/10/26 – 7:00 pm at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec
TV – US – ESPN, 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 32 – 9.4% (13th)
Penalty Kill(Reg) – 81.9% (4th)
Penalty Kill(Playoffs) – 15 for 23 – 87.0% (6th)
Montreal
Power Play(Reg) – 23.1% (10th)
Power Play(Playoffs) – 6 for 33 – 18.2% (8th)
Penalty Kill(Reg) – 78.2% (18th)
Penalty Kill(Playoffs) – 28 for 37 – 81.1% (10th)
Top Scorers
Buffalo
Alex Tuch: 8 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS
Tage Thompson: 8 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
Bowen Byram: 8 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS
Montreal
Nick Suzuki: 9 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS
Lane Hutson: 9 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS
Zachary Bolduc: 9 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS
Starting Goalies
Buffalo – Alex Lyon (4-2, 1.73 GAA, .934 Sv %)
Montreal – Jakub Dobes (5-4, 2.14 GAA, .917 Sv %)
Other Sabres Stories
Canadiens Sluggish In Game 1 Loss
Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings
Forwards
Peyton Krebs – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Zach Benson – Josh Norris – Josh Doan
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway – Sam Carrick – Beck Malenstyn
Ex., Tanner Pearson,, Josh Dunne, Tyson Kozak
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
Ex. 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)
Sabres Playoff Stats Leaders
Shots: Dahlin (30), Thompson/Tuch (27), Doan (20)
Hits: Samuelsson (31), Malenstyn (27), Tuch (23)
Blocked Shots: Timmins (19), Samuelsson/Tuch (11), Dahlin (9)
https://x.com/DuaneS39/status/2053207890379292707?s=20
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. Buffalo has allowed just 12 total goals in the team’s last six games. Prior to this season, the Sabres last allowed 12 or fewer goals in a six-game span in the playoffs from April 20 to May 4, 2007 (12). The Sabres have allowed only one power-play goal over their last six games, the fewest by a Buffalo team in any six-game span in the playoffs all-time.
In his last five games, Zach Benson has posted six points (3+3), including at least one point in three straight contests. Benson’s five points (2+3) in his last three games are the most by an NHL skater age 20 or younger in any three-game span in the playoffs since Wyatt Johnston from April 27 to May 1, 2024 (3+2). A point in tonight’s game would make him the first NHL skater age 20 or younger since Cole Caufield from June 6 to 18, 2021 (five games; 2+3) to register a point streak of four or more games in the playoffs. Benson would be the first Sabres skater to do so since Pierre Turgeon from April 5 to 9, 1989 (four games; 3+5).
Alex Lyon has allowed 11 total goals in seven appearances in the playoffs, tied for the fewest goals allowed in any seven-game span in the playoffs by a Sabres goaltender all-time (Dominik Hasek; April 23 to May 14, 1999). It is the first time any NHL goaltender has allowed 11 or fewer goals in their first seven playoff games (within a single playoff year) with a team since Jacob Markstrom from May 3 to 15, 2022 with Calgary (11). Lyon has posted a .934 save percentage in his first seven appearances in the playoffs, the best mark by a Sabres goaltender in any seven-game span in the playoffs since Ryan Miller from April 18, 2007 to May 4, 2007 (.937). It is the second-best save percentage by a Sabres goaltender in their first seven playoff appearances with Buffalo (within a single playoff year) all-time (Steve Shields; April 21 to May 5, 1997; .935).
Peyton Krebs has registered six points (2+4) in the playoffs thus far and his plus-6 rating through the team’s first eight playoff games ranks first among all Sabres skaters. Krebs’ plus/minus is the best by a Sabres skater in their first eight playoff games with Buffalo since Toni Lydman from April 22 to May 8, 2006 (plus-9). It is tied with Matthew Barnaby (May 9, 1993 to May 3, 1997; plus-6) for the best mark by a Sabres forward all-time in their first eight playoff games with Buffalo.
In his last five games, Josh Doan has registered six points (2+4), including at least one assist in each of his last three contests. An assist tonight would make Doan the first Sabres forward since Tim Connolly from April 27 to May 4, 2007 (four games; 0+4) to register an assist streak of four or more games in the playoffs.
Bowen Byram has recorded four goals in the playoffs and is one goal away from recording the most goals by a Sabres defenseman in a single playoff year all-time.
Conor Timmins tallied the first point of his playoff career with an assist in Game 2 against the Canadiens. Timmins would become the third Sabres defenseman to record an assist in at least two consecutive games this postseason with an assist tonight (Byram, Owen Power).
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