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Cole Caufield contributed significantly with his second playoff goal and an assist, propelling the Montreal Canadiens to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 on Sunday evening, establishing a 2-1 advantage in their second-round series.
Alex Newhook notched a pair of goals, with one being an empty-net tally, and Zachary Bolduc, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kirby Dach also found the back of the net for Montreal, which stands as the sole Canadian club still competing in the post-season.
Lane Hutson and Jake Evans each recorded two assists, and Jakub Dobes stopped 26 shots, marking the first time the Canadiens secured back-to-back victories in this playoff run.
For Buffalo, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin each contributed a goal and an assist, as the team suffered its initial road defeat of the post-season. Alex Lyon blocked 31 attempts but sustained his second consecutive loss.
The initial two matchups in Buffalo concluded with each team securing a win. The Sabres triumphed over the Canadiens 4-2 in the opening game, after which Montreal rebounded with a 5-1 win in the second contest.
The fourth game is scheduled to be held again at the Bell Centre on Tuesday evening.
We asked Habs fans gathered outside the Bell Centre for Game 3 against the Buffalo Sabres who they believe is the greatest Canadiens player of all time. Some of their answers might surprise you.
Second Period Escalates Dramatically
Shortly after failing to convert on an open net, Caufield converted a power-play opportunity, marking his initial goal in six games and putting the Canadiens up 2-1 just 6:05 into the second frame, initiating a chaotic period with four goals.
Hutson skillfully evaded Jordan Greenway, who was without a stick, then delivered a pass to the previously struggling 51-goal scorer, who calmly slotted the puck into the wide-open net, prompting a thunderous roar from the spectators.
It seemed the Canadiens extended their lead to 3-1 a minute subsequent when Josh Anderson’s backhand shot eluded Lyon while Phillip Danault converged on the net. Nevertheless, the referees disallowed the goal, drawing loud disapproval from the crowd during an evening characterized by multiple contentious decisions.
Bolduc eventually secured a two-goal cushion for the Canadiens at 10:43 in the second frame, following Joe Veleno’s pursuit of a loose puck behind Sabres defenseman Logan Stanley to create the opportunity.
Disorder erupted two minutes afterward when Beck Malenstyn collided with Dobes, leading to a large altercation and resulting in a power play for the Canadiens.
Slafkovsky then widened the gap to 4-1 by deflecting Hutson’s shot from the point, bringing Montreal’s power-play conversion to 2-for-5.
Dahlin narrowed the gap with 5:14 remaining in the second frame, precisely guiding a shot off the far post and into the net, recovering a goal before the intermission.
However, Dach re-established the three-goal difference at 8:46 in the third period, extracting a free puck from beneath Lyon and launching it into the unoccupied net.
This score came after several critical stops by Dobes, who thwarted Zach Benson on two occasions, as the Canadiens successfully repelled a Sabres resurgence, which featured a tense penalty kill early in the frame.
Newhook, who had also registered two goals in Game 2, secured his second tally when he was impeded while having an unobstructed path to the empty net, with 4:46 remaining in the third period.
Substantial throngs of people filled the adjacent thoroughfares many hours before the match on a bright afternoon, prompting the Canadiens to install a third massive outdoor screen to accommodate the “exceptional interest.”
Kirk Muller bore the ceremonial torch into the arena prior to the start of the Canadiens’ inaugural second-round playoff game played in front of a capacity crowd at the Bell Centre since 2015.
Thompson quickly — if briefly — silenced the audience by initiating the scoring just 53 seconds into the game, after Dahlin’s point shot ricocheted off the end boards and directly to his blade. This marked the end of his seven-game scoring slump, having posted a minus-4 rating and a detrimental turnover in Game 2, fueling concerns about his physical condition.
Lyon, facing persistent “Ly-on!” chants, subsequently thwarted scoring attempts by Nick Suzuki, Caufield, and Veleno, preserving the Sabres’ lead until Newhook converted a rebound opportunity at 15:31 of the opening frame.
Newhook initiated a sequence of four consecutive goals for the Canadiens, establishing a lead they would maintain throughout the remainder of the contest.
Schools across Montreal are encouraging kids to wear their Habs colours to support the team. CBC News spoke to students at Merton Elementary School in Côte Saint-Luc, Que.
