BUFFALO, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres meet Thursday at KeyBank Center for Game 5 of their second-round playoff series, with Montreal looking to build on a dominant performance and Buffalo seeking to regain home-ice momentum. Montreal holds a 3-1 series lead after routing Buffalo 6-2 on Sunday in Montreal. The Canadiens (54-38 overall) have won two straight games in the series, outscoring the Sabres 11-3 in that span. Game 5 faces off at 7 p.m. EDT. Alex Newhook leads Montreal’s attack. The center has three goals and four shots on goal in the last two games against Buffalo, including two goals and four shots in Sunday’s win. Over his past eight playoff games, Newhook has four goals, an assist and 19 shots. Buffalo (55-36) counters with Tage Thompson. The center scored a goal and added an assist in Game 4, his highest offensive output in the series. Thompson has two goals and four assists in nine playoff games. He recorded six shots and 14 penalty minutes in a first-round loss to Boston on April 21. The Sabres have lost two straight at home in the series, falling 5-1 on May 8 after a 4-2 win on May 6. Buffalo went 2-5-0 at KeyBank Center in the regular season against Atlantic Division opponents that posted winning records. Montreal’s Jakub Dobes made 26 saves in Sunday’s win. He is 4-2 in the playoffs with a .921 save percentage. The Canadiens have won three of four games in Buffalo this season, including a 4-2 victory on Jan. 31. Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist in Game 4. The defenseman has five points in the series. Josh Doan recorded an assist and four shots. The series continues Saturday in Montreal for Game 6, if necessary. A Canadiens win eliminates Buffalo and advances Montreal to the conference final. The Sabres must win to avoid a second straight postseason elimination at home. Montreal’s power play has clicked at 25% in the series, while Buffalo’s penalty kill has allowed three goals on nine opportunities. The Sabres held Montreal to one goal in 5-on-5 play during their Game 3 win. Thursday’s game marks the first potential series-clinching matchup for Montreal since 2024, when the Canadiens eliminated Toronto in six games. Buffalo last forced a Game 6 in 2023 against Florida.