The Montreal Canadiens are on the brink of advancing to the Eastern Conference final after a dominant 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 of their second-round playoff series on Thursday night at KeyBank Center.
Canadiens Take Series Lead
With the win, the Canadiens now hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. They can clinch a spot in the conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes with a victory at home on Saturday. If Montreal loses, the series will return to Buffalo for a decisive Game 7 on Monday.
Key Performances
Captain Nick Suzuki and forward Juraj Slafkovsky each recorded three points, leading the offensive charge. Rookie Ivan Demidov netted his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal, beating goaltender Alex Lyon with a top-corner laser on a power play 3 1/2 minutes into the third period.
The Canadiens took control of the game in the second period, scoring three goals to carry a two-goal lead into the third. That offensive outburst prompted the Sabres to replace starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with Lyon to start the final frame.
Suzuki scored Montreal's fifth goal on the team's first power play, depositing a pass from Slafkovsky behind Luukkonen at 17:33 of the second period. That goal came just over a minute after Jake Evans poked the puck over the line after Luukkonen failed to control a shot by Demidov.
The Canadiens tied the game 3-3 at 8:01 of the second period when Josh Anderson went to the net and tapped in a feed from Lane Hutson.
Wild First Period
The Sabres held a 3-2 lead after a wild first period that featured five goals in a span of eight minutes and 15 seconds before the game was 11 minutes old. Jason Zucker opened the scoring at the two-minute mark by deflecting a Jack Quinn shot past Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes. Montreal tied the game at 6:31 when Cole Caufield scored for the third consecutive game, putting a Suzuki pass into the net after a turnover by Conor Timmins.
Buffalo's Josh Doan restored a one-goal lead at 7:45, but just nine seconds later, a shot by Montreal's Alexandre Carrier went past Luukkonen off the skate of teammate Alexandre Texier. At 10:15, Sabres rookie Konsta Helenius scored when his shot along the ice eluded Dobes. Of the five goals in the period, it was the weakest from a goaltending perspective. Although Dobes allowed three goals on the Sabres' first four shots, they were unable to beat him again.
The Canadiens will look to close out the series at home on Saturday.
