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Captain Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans scored just 68 seconds apart late in the second period, leading the Montreal Canadiens to a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. The win gives Montreal a 3-2 lead in their second-round playoff series.
Montreal pulled ahead with a three-goal surge in the second period but did not take the lead until Evans slid a loose puck past Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 3:45 remaining. Suzuki quickly followed, scoring 10 seconds into a power play by finishing off Juraj Slafkovsky’s one-handed pass from the end boards, lifting the Canadiens to a 4-3 advantage.
Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Ivan Demidov, and Alexandre Texier also found the back of the net for Montreal. Jakub Dobes, the Canadiens’ goalie, allowed three goals on the first four shots he faced but finished strong with 33 saves.
For Buffalo, goals came from Josh Doan, Jason Zucker, and rookie Konsta Helenius, who was playing in only his second career playoff game.
Luukkonen gave up five goals on 23 shots and was pulled after two periods—the second time he has been removed this postseason. Alex Lyon took over in goal for the Sabres and allowed one goal on three shots. Lyon may regain the starting position after losing it following a 6-2 loss in Game 3.
The Sabres have now dropped two of three games on home ice in the series, coming off a 3-2 win in Montreal on Tuesday.
Montreal’s top line delivered the offensive spark they had been missing in the series. Suzuki finished with a goal and two assists, Slafkovsky recorded three assists, and Caufield also contributed on the scoresheet. Before this game, the trio had combined for just four goals and five assists through the first four games.
Star defenseman Lane Hutson added two assists to bring his total to six points in four playoff games.
The Canadiens are now one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup semifinals for the first time since the altered 2021 playoffs due to COVID-19. Montreal went on to make the Stanley Cup Final that year but fell to Tampa Bay in five games.
The game began with an offensive explosion, as Buffalo and Montreal combined for five goals within the first 10:15. Doan and Texier scored just nine seconds apart, and Helenius put Buffalo on top 3-2 with a shot from the right circle that slipped through Dobes’ legs.
These five goals within 8:15 ranked 11th fastest in playoff history between two teams.
Buffalo’s defensive struggles persist. After allowing 12 goals in six games against Boston in the first round, the Sabres have now conceded 21 goals to Montreal—19 of those over the past four games.