MONTREAL (Interstat) — The Buffalo Sabres staved off elimination and forced a decisive Game 7 with an 8-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at Bell Centre. Tage Thompson had a goal and three assists, and Rasmus Dahlin added a goal and four assists as the Sabres erupted for eight goals after trailing 3-2 following the first period. Jack Quinn scored twice, and Zach Benson contributed a goal and an assist despite 10 penalty minutes. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves for the win. Buffalo scored three times in the second period and three more in the third. Jason Zucker also scored. Jake Evans, Ivan Demidov and Arber Xhekaj scored for Montreal, which leads the series 3-2. Dahlin opened the scoring 32 seconds in. Quinn put Buffalo ahead for good early in the second period. Thompson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal late. The Sabres improved to 57-37. The Canadiens fell to 55-40. Game 7 is Monday in Buffalo.

MONTREAL (Interstat) — The Buffalo Sabres staved off elimination in emphatic fashion Saturday night, scoring eight goals to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 8-3 in Game 6 of their National Hockey League playoff series before 20,962 at Bell Centre. Buffalo, which entered the game trailing the best-of-seven series 3-2, scored two goals in the first period, three in the second and three in the third. Montreal scored all three of its goals in the opening period, but the Sabres seized control with a dominant second and never looked back. The Canadiens struck first, but the Sabres responded quickly. Rasmus Dahlin opened the scoring at 0:32 of the first period with a backhand goal, assisted by Mattias Samuelsson and Zach Benson. Montreal tied it at 10:14 on a wrist shot by Jake Evans, assisted by Mike Matheson. Buffalo regained the lead at 13:56 when Jason Zucker scored on a wrist shot from Josh Norris and Jack Quinn. The Canadiens answered again at 19:40 of the first on a wrist shot by Arber Xhekaj, assisted by Evans. Montreal then took its only lead of the game at 8:12 of the first on a slap shot by Ivan Demidov, with assists to Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield. But the Sabres refused to fold, and the period ended 3-2 in favor of Montreal despite Buffalo’s early push. The second period belonged entirely to the Sabres. They scored three consecutive goals to take a 5-3 lead. Jack Quinn tied the game at 20:54 on a slap shot assisted by Dahlin and Tage Thompson. Konsta Helenius gave Buffalo the lead at 24:59 on a wrist shot from Zucker and Dahlin. Zach Benson added another at 2:00 of the second on a backhand from Thompson and Bowen Byram. The Sabres outshot the Canadiens 15-8 in the period and controlled the pace, with goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turning aside all eight shots he faced. In the third period, Buffalo put the game out of reach. Jack Quinn scored his second of the night at 27:58 on a slap shot assisted by Thompson and Dahlin, giving the Sabres a 6-3 lead. Thompson added an unassisted wrist shot at 42:12 for a 7-3 advantage. The game descended into a penalty-filled final minutes, with multiple misconducts assessed to both sides. Zach Metsa capped the scoring at 51:49 on a wrist shot assisted by Ryan McLeod and Dahlin. The Sabres finished with a 35-21 edge in shots on goal. Tage Thompson led Buffalo with one goal and three assists, totaling six shots on goal. Dahlin registered one goal and four assists, with three shots on goal and two penalty minutes. Jack Quinn had two goals and one assist, with three shots on goal. Zach Benson contributed a goal and an assist, along with six shots, two hits and 10 penalty minutes. Jason Zucker added a goal and an assist. Josh Norris had one assist, two shots and four penalty minutes. For Montreal, Jake Evans had a goal and an assist, one shot on goal, one hit and 12 penalty minutes. Ivan Demidov scored a goal and had five shots. The Canadiens’ goaltender Jakub Dobes made 27 saves on 35 shots, while Luukkonen stopped all 18 shots he faced after replacing an ineffective Alex Lyon, who allowed three goals on three shots in the first period before being pulled. The game featured a total of 20 penalties, including multiple misconducts in the third period. Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj was assessed a misconduct and an interference penalty, while Jake Evans, Alexandre Carrier and Kirby Dach also received misconducts. For Buffalo, Zach Benson, Josh Norris and Peyton Krebs were given misconducts. The Sabres went 0 for 5 on the power play, while Montreal went 0 for 3. The series now stands at 3-2 in favor of Montreal, with Game 7 scheduled for Monday, May 18 in Buffalo. The Sabres improved their season record to 57-37, while the Canadiens fell to 55-40. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Montreal 4, Buffalo 3, and its ELO system gave Montreal a 53.60 percent probability to win. The Canadiens were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total of 11 goals went over the over/under line of 6.5.

MONTREAL (Interstat) — The Buffalo Sabres face elimination Saturday when they visit the Montreal Canadiens for Game 6 of their Eastern Conference playoff series at Bell Centre. Buffalo (56-37) trails the best-of-seven series 3-2 after a 6-3 loss at home Thursday. The Sabres have lost two of three games in Montreal this series, though they earned a 3-2 victory at Bell Centre on May 12. Montreal (55-39) looks to close out the series on home ice. The Canadiens have won consecutive games after dropping Games 3 and 4 in Buffalo, regaining control with a 6-2 victory May 10 and Thursday’s decisive win. Sabres winger Jason Zucker will be a key player for Buffalo. In Thursday’s loss, Zucker scored a goal on two shots. Over his past nine games, including the previous playoff round against Boston, Zucker has one goal, one assist and 14 shots on goal. He recorded two shots in a 3-2 win at Montreal on May 12. Canadiens center Phillip Danault has been a steady producer for Montreal. Danault recorded two assists and a hit in Thursday’s win, giving him four assists over his past three games. He has three assists and six shots on goal in the series. Thursday’s game saw Montreal build a 3-0 first-period lead. Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists, Ivan Demidov added a goal and an assist, and the Canadiens held off a Buffalo rally. Jack Quinn had an assist and three shots for the Sabres. The series has been a back-and-forth affair. Montreal won the first two games (5-1 on May 8, 6-2 on May 10) before Buffalo responded with back-to-back home wins (4-2 on May 6, the score listed as May 6 in provided data but context suggests a home win; then 3-2 on May 12). Montreal reclaimed momentum with Thursday’s win. The Sabres will need to solve Montreal’s offense, which has scored five or more goals in three of five games this series. Buffalo’s defense has been inconsistent, allowing at least five goals in each of the three losses. Montreal has won four of six home games against Buffalo this season, including a 4-2 victory Oct. 20, 2025, and a 4-2 win Jan. 31. Buffalo won 4-2 in Montreal on Jan. 22. The winner of this series advances to face the winner of the other Eastern Conference series. Game 7, if necessary, would be Monday in Buffalo. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. EDT.