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...
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...
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...
The Boston Bruins will be without their best defenceman for the beginning of their 2026-27 season. On Tuesday, the NHL Department of Player Safety (DPoS) announced that Charlie McAvoy received a six-game suspension for roughing Buffalo Sabres’ Zach Benson, that will carry over to the next regular season. McAvoy received an in-person hearing with the…
The NHL announced on Tuesday evening that Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy will be suspended for the first six games of next season, the result of a slash on Buffalo’s Zach Benson in Game 6 of the Bruins-Sabres series. McAvoy was given a major and a game misconduct on the play in real time, with that […]
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...
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy will miss the beginning of next season, after a vicious slash to the body of Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson in the final game of their first round series. NHL Player Safety announced that McAvoy has been suspended six games, which he will serve at the beginning of next season. 🚨 #NHLBruins D Charlie McAvoy has been suspended six (6) games for slashing #LetsGoBuffalo F Zach Benson. pic.twitter.com/nudziIlany — NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) May 12, 2026 Af...
The Carolina Hurricanes announced today that they have signed Charlie Cerrato to a three-year entry level contract. The deal starts this season and runs through the 2027-28 season. The details are below. The Avs have taken a 3-1 lead over the Wild out West. Can the Habs do the same to the Sabres tonight?
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...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 3: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 1-1
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+
With the faceoffs decidedly in the Montreal Canadiens’ favour, 62-42 after two games, the Buffalo Sabres will be inserting Sam Carrick onto the fourth line tonight, hoping that the one player they had who ...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 3: Montreal Canadiens (A3) vs. Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 1-1
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+
Losing Game 1 by a bigger margin than any match in the opening round, the Montreal Canadiens responded in a big way on Friday night. With a 5-1 win, they won by four goals for the first time since March 21...
Following up a game one in which they couldn’t get much going, the Montreal Canadiens were back in Buffalo Sabres’ territory looking to earn a split of their road games before taking the series back to the Bell Centre. This time, they got going early and didn’t look back, earning their highest margin of victory in these playoffs with a 5-1 win. While their top line played much better than they had in the first game, it was once again their depth players who did most of the damage in the win.
...
Montreal Canadiens news and notes
Jake Evans has some words of caution for any Buffalo Sabres players who want to get in Jakub Dobeš’s kitchen: “When he gets bothered, he’s even better.” [ Journal de Montreal ]
Nick Suzuki was happy with what he saw from the Newhook-Evans-Demidov line. [ The Athletic ]
Ivan Demidov has helped the Canadiens hem the Sabres in their zone when he’s on the ice. Evans wants to help turn that into goals for the rookie. [ RDS ]
With Juraj Slafkov...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 2: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Buffalo Sabres (A1)
BUF leads 1-0
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: Sportsnet+
The Montreal Canadiens may not have been happy with the final score, and Lane Hutson wasn’t happy with his play, but Martin St-Louis seems to have liked what he saw from his team in Game 1, opting to mak...