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The Montreal Canadiens are headed to another Game 7 after blowing a two-goal lead — and a chance to advance to the NHL’s Eastern Conference final.
Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and four assists as the Buffalo Sabres stormed back after swapping goalies to thump the Canadiens 8-3 in Game 6 on Saturday night, tying the second-round, best-of-seven playoff series at three games apiece.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped all 17 shots he faced in relief for Alex Lyon, who gave up three goals on four shots before he was pulled.
Tage Thompson had one goal and three assists, while Jack Quinn added two goals and an assist to help the Sabres spoil the party inside and outside the Bell Centre, preventing the Canadiens from clinching the series — at least for now.
Zach Benson and Jason Zucker had a goal and an assist each, and Konsta Helenius and Zach Metsa also scored in Buffalo’s comeback effort.
The series shifts back to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center for the decisive Game 7 on Monday. The winner will take on the Carolina Hurricanes, who haven’t played since sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers on May 9.
Dobes pulled after giving up 6 goals
Jakub Dobes gave up six goals on 33 shots before Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis pulled him with 10:02 remaining. Jacob Fowler then stopped one of two shots in his NHL playoff debut.
Jake Evans — with an assist — Arber Xhekaj and Ivan Demidov scored for the Canadiens, who jumped out to a 3-1 lead and chased Lyon midway through the first period.
As the Montreal Canadiens gained the upperhand in their best-of-seven playoff series with a 6-3 win over Buffalo, Sabres fans shared which Habs players are getting under their skin the most — Alex Newhook is currently a popular pick.
The Sabres then scored seven unanswered goals to more than erase the Canadiens’ advantage.
Zucker brought one back on the power play at 13:56 in the first on a setup from Josh Norris. Benson then sparked a dominant second period for the Sabres, scoring from a tight angle one minute in when he corralled a loose puck after it trickled through Dobes.
Quinn gave the Sabres a 4-3 lead with another goal on the man-advantage at 10:54, before Helenius buried a pass from Zucker on a 2-on-1 just two minutes and five seconds later to stun the Canadiens and their once-feverish crowd.
The Sabres winger added his second of the night with another power-play marker at 9:58 in the third period, as Fowler entered the crease. Thompson slid the puck into an empty net at 14:12 to stretch the lead to four, before Metsa scored Buffalo’s fourth power-play goal of the night at 17:47.
Flurry of goals in 1st period
Hours before puck drop, the energy was already at a fever pitch in a city where cheering for the Canadiens is practically a birthright. Thousands clad in the Canadiens’ bleu-blanc-rouge swarmed the streets surrounding the Bell Centre, with Montreal police asking fans to refrain from letting off pyrotechnics in anticipation of the frenzied atmosphere.
Over in Quebec City, a rival town that once bled Nordiques blue, thousands more packed a watch party inside the Videotron Centre.
Canadiens legend Larry Robinson raised the ceremonial torch to the crackling crowd to kick off the first Saturday night playoff game before a full-capacity Bell Centre since 2015. A chorus of ear-splitting “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants then delayed the national anthems, as it has all spring.
Dahlin quickly hushed the crowd with a goal 32 seconds into the game, deking around Juraj Slafkovsky following the Montreal forward’s turnover before scoring on his backhand.
The action hardly stopped there as Montreal and Buffalo combined for five goals in a chaotic first period, mirroring the wild start to Game 5.
Just as the first “Ly-on!” taunts began, Xhekaj’s point shot fooled the Sabres netminder glove side to tie the score at 1:40 and spark a three-goal run.
Demidov blasted a one-timer on the power play at 8:12 after Peyton Krebs’ roughing penalty on Alex Newhook.
Evans then trickled a shot through Lyon for a short-handed goal 2:02 later to end Lyon’s night and give the Canadiens a 3-1 lead — a short-lived advantage before the Sabres mounted a comeback.
Montreal also led 3-2 in its first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, dropping Game 6 at home before winning Game 7 in Tampa Bay.
Diane Bibaud dreamed of playing the organ for the Montreal Canadiens since she was eight years old. Having held the position since 1987, she considers the role an “honour” and says she will continue to play for as long as possible.
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