Sabres vs Canadiens Live: Score Updates, Highlights & How to Watch Tonight’s Rivalry Clash

A red-hot Game 5 at KeyBank Center has swung the Eastern Conference Second-Round spotlight back on the “Sabres vs Canadiens” rivalry, with the Montreal Canadiens overpowering the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 to seize a 3-2 series lead and set up a potential close-out in Game 6 at Bell Centre on Sunday night. Montreal’s offense ignited in the middle frame, striking four times in a 12-minute span. Captain Nick Suzuki buried the go-ahead tally on the power play before Jake Evans capped the surge, giving the Habs a three-goal cushion they never surrendered. Cole Caufield added his sixth of the postseason, while goaltender Samuel Montembeault neutralized Buffalo’s late push with 31 saves. For Buffalo, Tage Thompson’s two-point night and Zach Benson’s slick power-play marker offered flashes of hope, but costly turnovers in the neutral zone fed Montreal’s transition game. Head coach Don Granato acknowledged his club “lost structure once we were chasing,” vowing a tighter defensive posture in Montreal. Why Game 6 matters 1. Elimination pressure: Buffalo must win to force a decisive Game 7 at home, while Montreal can punch its first conference-final ticket since 2021. 2. Special-teams swing: The Canadiens are 5-for-15 on the man advantage since Game 3, whereas Buffalo has slipped to 17 percent. Staying out of the box is mission critical for the Sabres. 3. Bell Centre boost: Montreal is 4-1 on home ice this postseason, feeding off a raucous crowd that’s already chanting “Fin du Buffalo.” Players to watch • Nick Suzuki: Eight points in five games, dominating the faceoff dot at 57 percent. • Rasmus Dahlin: Logged nearly 28 minutes in Game 5; expect the Sabres’ blue-line anchor to eclipse 30 if the game stays tight. • Alex Newhook: Quiet in the last two contests but scored twice in Game 2 and owns the speed to exploit Buffalo’s gap control. Strategic keys Buffalo: • Stretch passes beat Montreal’s aggressive forecheck in Game 4; look for Granato to re-install that north-south thrust early. • Plant Thompson in the left circle on the power play—his one-timer has generated 14 shot attempts in the series. Montreal: • Layered neutral-zone trap forced five Buffalo giveaways that led directly to goals in Game 5. Replicating that clog keeps the Sabres to the outside. • Keep Montembeault’s sightlines clear; Buffalo’s net-front screens yielded two of its three tallies Thursday. Injury updates – Sabres winger Jack Quinn (lower body) skated in a non-contact jersey Saturday; his status remains game-time. – Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle left late in the third after blocking a Thompson blast but practiced and is expected to play, according to coach Martin St. Louis. Projected starters BUF: Devon Levi (6-4-0, .914 SV%) MTL: Samuel Montembeault (7-3-0, .921 SV%) Bottom line Searches for “Sabres vs Canadiens” are spiking as fans anticipate a classic do-or-die clash. If Buffalo tightens its rush defense and capitalizes on Thompson’s lethal shot, a seventh game beckons. Otherwise, Montreal’s balanced attack and home-ice roar could send the Sabres packing and light up downtown with the first “Olé, Olé, Olé” of May.