Canadiens Highlights: Sabres Strike First
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens faced the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, with both teams attempting to earn a statement win in the first game of the second-round series. Prior to puck drop, a pair of lineup changes were confirmed by head coach Martin St-Louis.
Joe Veleno was used in his first playoff game, centring the fourth line between Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach, while Arber Xhekaj was paired with Noah Dobson on the third pairing. The Habs managed to outshoot the Sabres, but it was not enough to secure a victory, as Buffalo emerged with a 4-2 win. Let’s dive into the highlights!
Sabre Strike As if often the case in hockey, a strong play at one end of the ice can quickly result in a goal at the other. Following a play in which Lane Hutson hit the crossbar, he proceeded to cough up the puck at Montreal’s blue line, leading to a 3v1 for the Sabres. Noah Dobson attempted to slide to break up the pass, but failed to make an impact, resulting in Josh Doan’s second goal of the playoffs, and a 1–0 Sabres lead.
Benson finds Doan 🦬🦬🦬 pic. twitter. com/Bq5iCJwkIX — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 6, 2026 Eventual Response The Sabres would establish a two-goal lead before the Canadiens responded, though it must be said that the teams were fairly evenly matched at 5v5.
More than anything, the powerplays dictated the momentum. Speaking of which, the Habs required a powerplay before they found the back of the net. They also needed a perfect pass by Juraj Slafkovsky, and a smart finish by captain Nick Suzuki to cut the Sabres lead to 2-1.