The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series at Bell Centre on May 13, tying the series at two games apiece as it returns to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday.
The outcome keeps both teams level in a closely contested series, increasing anticipation for the next matchup. The game featured key performances from several Sabres players and included notable lineup changes aimed at boosting team performance.
Zach Benson scored the winning goal on a third-period power play, marking his fourth goal and seventh point of these playoffs. Benson’s decisive shot came after he stopped a pass from Josh Doan with his skate and flicked a backhand past Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes. Benson was celebrating his 21st birthday during this game. Doan contributed two assists and now has helpers in five consecutive games, which is the longest such streak by a Sabres player in the playoffs since Tim Connolly in 2006. Mattias Samuelsson and Tage Thompson also scored for Buffalo.
The Sabres made three lineup changes: rookie Konsta Helenius made his playoff debut at forward, Luke Schenn played his first postseason game on defense, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returned as starting goaltender for the first time since Round 1. Luukkonen recorded 28 saves on 30 shots while Buffalo’s penalty kill went six-for-seven. The team also blocked a total of 27 shots during the contest.
Momentum shifted multiple times throughout the match, including after two lengthy video reviews early in the first period that resulted in one disallowed goal due to goalie interference by Helenius. Montreal responded with goals from Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield before Thompson tied it up for Buffalo with an unusual bounce off the boards leading to a power-play goal.
Game statistics show that Thompson finished with both a goal and an assist while Doan led all Sabres skaters with six points so far this round. The next game will be held Thursday evening at KeyBank Center; tickets are available through Ticketmaster, and national broadcasts will air on TNT, truTV, HBO Max as well as local radio coverage.
