The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 8-3 on May 17 to keep their playoff run alive and force a decisive Game 7. The victory took place at Bell Centre, setting up the final game of the series for Monday at KeyBank Center.
This result means both teams will now compete in a winner-take-all match, which will determine who advances in the playoffs. The Sabres’ strong offensive performance helped them overcome an early deficit and set new franchise records.
Montreal scored three goals on four shots early in the first period, leading to Buffalo’s goalie Alex Lyon being replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. Luukkonen stopped all 18 shots he faced for the rest of the game. Buffalo responded with seven unanswered goals and limited Montreal to just six shots in the third period.
The Sabres chased Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes from net after scoring six goals on him before Jacob Fowler came in as relief during the third period. Rasmus Dahlin led Buffalo with five points (one goal, four assists), tying a single-game franchise playoff record previously set by Derek Roy and John Tucker. Tage Thompson contributed four points (one goal, three assists), while Jack Quinn scored his first career playoff goals as part of a two-goal night.
Buffalo’s power play was effective, scoring four times and bringing their total to nine power-play goals out of twenty-four opportunities (37.5%) during this series. Eight different players contributed to Buffalo’s eight-goal tally, which also marked a road playoff record for the team.
Game 7 is scheduled for Monday at KeyBank Center at 7:30 p.m., airing on ESPN. Pregame and postgame coverage will be available through Brian Duff and Marty Biron’s shows on MSG, social media channels, and the official team app.
