5/12/26 - 7:00 pm at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec TV - US - ESPN, Canada - CBC Hockey Night In Canada Buffalo – 50-23-9 | - 109 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division Montreal – 48-24-10 | - 106 points – 3rd place in the Atlantic Division Special Teams Buffalo Power Play(Reg) – 19.5% (21st) Power Play(Playoffs) - 4 for 36 - 11.1% (13th) Penalty Kill(Reg) – 81.9% (4th) Penalty Kill(Playoffs) - 24 for 29 - 82.8% (9th) Montreal Power Play(Reg) – 23.1% (10th) Power Play(Playoffs) - 8 for 39 - 20.6% (6th) Penalty Kill(Reg) - 78.2% (18th) Penalty Kill(Playoffs) - 33 for 41 - 80.5% (11th) Top Scorers Buffalo Tage Thompson: 9 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 PTS Josh Doan: 9 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS Alex Tuch: 9 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 PTS Montreal Lane Hutson: 10 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS Nick Suzuki: 10 GP, 3 G, 6 A, 9 PTS Zachary Bolduc: 10 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS Starting Goalies Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1-1, 4.19 GAA, .825 Sv %) Montreal – Jakub Dobes (6-4, 2.13 GAA, .918 Sv %) Other Sabres Stories Canadiens Sluggish In Game 1 Loss [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres/latest-news/sabres-take-advantage-of-canadiens-sluggishness-in-game-1-victory] Montreal has been winning the depth battle with the Sabres so far? Sabres Line Combinations and Pairings Forwards Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch Zach Benson - Josh Norris - Josh Doan Jason Zucker - Konsta Helenius - Jack Quinn Jordan Greenway - Ryan McLeod - Beck Malenstyn Ex., Tanner Pearson,, Josh Dunne, Tyson Kozak Defense Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin Owen Power - Bowen Byram Luke Schenn - Conor Timmins Ex. Logan Stanley, Michael Kesselring, Zach Metsa Goaltenders Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Alex Lyon Colten Ellis Injuries Justin Danforth (lower body, Oct. 18; injured reserve) Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season) Noah Ostlund (lower body, Apr 28; week-to-week) Sabres Playoff Stats Leaders Shots: Dahlin (33), Tuch (31), Thompson (30) Hits: Samuelsson (36), Tuch (29), Malenstyn (28) Blocked Shots: Timmins (20), Samuelsson (13), Tuch (12) Notes This season marks the first time the Sabres have advanced past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they advanced to the 2007 Eastern Conference Final. The Sabres have earned three playoff series victories over the Canadiens in franchise history. Buffalo last faced Montreal in the playoffs in the 1998 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a series in which the Sabres won four games to none. The Sabres also defeated the Canadiens three games to none in the 1983 Adams Division Semifinals and four games to two in the 1975 Semifinals. In his last four games, Zach Benson has registered five points (2+3). Peyton Krebs’ plus-5 rating is tied with Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad from April 22 to May 10, 2006 for the second-best mark by a Sabres forward in the first nine games of their playoff career. Matthew Barnaby (plus-6; May 8, 1993 to May 5, 1997) is the only Buffalo forward who has recorded a better plus/minus in their first nine playoff games. In his last six games, Josh Doan has registered seven points (2+5), including at least one assist in each of his last four contests. An assist tonight would make Doan the first Sabres skater since Tim Connolly from April 30 to May 10, 2006 (five games; 0+6) to register an assist streak of five or more games in the playoffs. He would become one of six Buffalo skaters (Briere, Dale Hawerchuk, Pat LaFontaine, Gilbert Perreault, Alexei Zhitnik) to record an assist streak of five or more games in the playoffs at least one time. Tage Thompson has tallied nine points (3+6) in nine playoff games thus far, including five points (1+4) in his last five games. Thompson’s three multi-point games in the playoffs are the most among all Sabres skaters. He is the first Sabres skater to record at least one point per game through the first nine playoff games of their career since Tim Connolly from (April 22, 2006 to April 12, 2007; 5+7). Thompson and Derek Roy (April 22 to May 10, 2006; 3+6) are the only Buffalo skaters to do so in a single playoff year. In his last five games, Rasmus Dahlin has posted five points (2+3). Bowen Byram has recorded four goals in the playoffs and is one goal away from recording the most goals by a Sabres defenseman in a single playoff year all-time. Follow Michael on X, Instagram @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo]
