2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 7: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 3-3
Start time: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN Streaming: Sportsnet+
For the first time in the playoffs, Jakub Dobeš was removed without completing a game, allowing more than three goals for the second time this round when he surrendered six, including three power-play goals....
We’ve got a winner-take-all showdown tonight in Buffalo, as the most entertaining series of the second round concludes with a Game 7 that’s felt inevitable all along. The eyes of the hockey world will be focused on the KeyBank Center tonight, as fans feel the weight of suspense over who’ll win. But they shouldn’t be. Because it’s pretty obvious. I mean, the hockey gods aren’t even really trying to disguise the ending here. If you’ve been paying attention to this series, you know who’s going to...
The Buffalo Sabres will host the Montreal Canadiens tonight in a do or die Game 7 that will complete the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Montreal had a chance to win the series on home ice in Game 6 on Saturday, but the Sabres staved off elimination, riddling Jakub Dobes with goals in an 8-3 rout. Buffalo will be looking to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2007. The Canadiens made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 before losing to t...
The Montreal Canadiens sure aren’t doing anything the easy way this spring. For the second series in a row, they blew a chance to clinch a round on home ice in Game 6 as they blew a 3-1 lead on their way to an 8-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Now they’ll have to head into Buffalo tonight and try to win another Game 7 on the road if they want to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.
Meanwhile, Carolina is more than happy to watch the two teams beat each other up as they set a...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 7: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 3-3
Start time: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN Streaming: Sportsnet+
Going down 1-0 in the opening minute, the Montreal Canadiens responded as they usually have in this second-round series. They scored a quick tying goal, took a lead minutes later, then really brought the Bell Cen...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
“We definitely have to raise our level of play,” Phillip Danault says, but he believes playing Game 7 on the road will be to Montreal’s advantage. [ La Presse ]
The players know they didn’t play well on Saturday. Martin St-Louis’s job was to explain to them what they did wrong so it doesn’t happen again. [ TVA Sports ]
Who will be the hero of tonight’s game? [ NHL.com ]
The Canadiens’ superior ability to convert their high-danger chances ...
On May 14th in 1987, heavyweight Ed Hospodar of the Philadelphia Flyers incited a pregame brawl at the Forum attacking Montreal Canadiens sophomore Claude Lemieux prior to Game 6 of the Wales Conference Final.
Tiring of Lemieux and Shayne Corson's superstitious ritual of firing a puck into the opponent's empty net at the end of the warmup skate, Hospodar and Chico Resch returned to the ice to
On May 11th in 1989, Philadelphia Flyers ferocious goalie Ron Hextall attacked Montreal Canadiens defenseman Chris Chelios after play was whistled offside trailing 4-2 with 1:37 left in Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals.
The 1987 Vezina and Conn Smythe winner come single season goaltender penalty minute record holder (113 minutes in 1989) pounced in response to Chelios' unpenalized elbow on
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Pete Fry, a former goaltender and Jakub Dobeš’s mental coach, says the key is for a goaltender to see every good play by the opposition as an opportunity to make a difference in the game. [ La Presse ]
Why have the Canadiens not performed well at the Bell Centre? “Sometimes you get a little too nervous and a little too aggressive when the crowd reacts,” Nick Suzuki admits. “We love playing here. We just need to execute better.” [ La Presse ]
M...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 6: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
MTL leads 3-2
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ABC Streaming: Sportsnet+
A couple of times in this series it looked like the Buffalo Sabres had the answer for the Montreal Canadiens’ offence. The Habs were held to two goals in the opening game as the Sabres looked strong in th...
If you were to handicap the Conn Smythe Trophy race before these Stanley Cup Playoffs began, it's pretty certain that two of the top three betting favorites right now would not have been on your board. According to Covers.com and Bet 99, the betting odds for the playoff MVP look like this heading into Saturday night's crucial Game 6 in Montreal between the Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche +195 Frederik Andersen, Carolina Hurricanes +45...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 6: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
MTL leads 3-2
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ABC Streaming: Sportsnet+
For the second time in a row, the Montreal Canadiens went into a series without home-ice advantage and were able to win a pivotal Game 5 on the road to set themselves up with a chance to close out a serie...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
After missing their chance to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games, the Canadiens are determined to take care of business tonight. [ La Presse ]
Joe Veleno knows the team played a great Game 6 last round at home, and just needs to have a slightly better effort tonight. [ TVA Sports ]
The players praised Jakub Dobeš for his ability to bounce back after a rough start in Game 5. [ TVA Sports ]
Martin St-Louis liked that Ivan Demido...
The New York Rangers are once again shopping Vincent Trocheck. The two-way center was taken out of the lineup last season, that's how engaged the trade talks were, however, no deal was struck, and Trocheck awkwardly finished the season in New York. Heading into the offseason, Rangers GM Chris Drury is looking to move off Trocheck, who has three seasons left on his contract at $5.6 million AAV, and he does own a 10-team no-trade clause. Some feel there could be most of the Canadian teams includ...
Game 5 of the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres’ second-round series got off to a start that could charitably be called “chaotic.” With five goals in the opening 10:15 of play, it was far from a goaltending classic for both starters. When the first period came to a close with the Habs trailing and all the momentum tilting towards the Sabres, it seemed like it might have been time for Jacob Fowler to come in for his first Stanley Cup Playoff action to try to salvage a critical game.
In...
First period
So much for a better start from Montreal. A shot from the point takes a double deflection of Jason Zucker and then Mike Matheson’s heel to get behind Dobeš, and Montreal is chasing after not being ready for the start of the game once again.
Kirby Dach gets Montreal first two chances of the game, trying to bank the puck in off the side of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s head, then getting a rebound chance at the side of the net.
As they usually do, the Canadiens manage to t...
And all of the sudden, the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is starting to wind down.
Nothing’s decided in the West just yet, but Colorado is looking for a commanding 3-1 series lead when action resumes in Minnesota on Monday night. A couple of games are on Tuesday’s slate, with Montreal up 2-1 and home for Game 4 against Buffalo with the nightcap being a pivotal Game 5 from Sin City in the deadlocked Anaheim/Vegas series. Minnesota and Colorado move on to Game 5 in Colorado ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 5: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 2-2
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN Streaming: Sportsnet+
The Buffalo Sabres have made another lineup change despite getting the win in Game 4. Lindy Ruff has united his team’s two deadline defencemen to form a third pairing of Luke Schenn and Logan Stanley, taking...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Road success and a united mindset have the Canadiens confident heading into Game 5. [ Journal de Montreal ]
Lane Hutson is putting his bottomless tank of energy and elite instincts on full display in playoff run. [ TSN ]
Bob Gainey is tuning in and enjoying the playoff runs of the Canadiens and Montreal Victoire. [ NHL ]
Despite the rocky start and loss in Game 4, the Canadiens were pretty pleased with their overall performance. [ TSN ] ...
First period
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in net, as the Buffalo Sabres desperately look for someone to slow down Montreal’s offence.
Luukkonen stops the first shot of the game, from Cole Caufield on a two-on-one with Juraj Slafkovský.
It’s not as energetic a start as the Sabres had in Game 3.
Alex Tuch gets a lane to the net and sends a short-side shot off the post.
Now the Sabres are beginning to make things happen. Dobeš had to shoot out his glove to deny the latest sh...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 4: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
MTL leads 2-1
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: ESPN Streaming: Sportsnet+
Lindy Ruff has made two lineup changes for Game 4. Sam Carrick is out after playing on Sunday, though it seems to be more of a coach’s decision than from any injury from Arber Xhekaj’s fine-worthy punch at t...
Sixteen years ago today, the Pittsburgh Penguins were blown out in a Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens, losing the final game in the storied history of the Mellon Arena. The Penguins were the defending Stanley Cup champions and made their way to the second round of the playoffs after beating the Ottawa Senators in […]
The Montreal Canadiens and Nick Suzuki have put up fierce resistance to the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In game three, the Canadiens put a damper on the hopes the Sabres rode into the second round, hanging six goals on Alex Lyon. Nick Suzki tallied an assist in the victory that night, providing a primary assist on Alex Newhook's goal at 15:14 in the third period against the Sabres. That goal was the Canadiens' sixth of the night and sealed...
We’re still in the quiet, other-teams-are-competing part of the offseason, but there was one bit of news on an Islanders player who was grinding through some injuries during the final third. Meanwhile, among those still-competing teams, Minnesota has restored possibility in its series with the Avalanche, the Canadiens have taken the lead on Buffalo, and […]
First period
The broadcast talks about the struggles of Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson, and both feature on the opening goal of the game. Caufield gets the puck alone in his own slot and makes a flip toward the blue line that goes nowhere. Rasmus Dahlin ends up getting a shot as a result, and the puck bounces off the end boards and trickles right to Thompson alone at the side of the net to get an easy goal to bust his slump.
Phillip Danault’s line gets a good chance trying to even...