Game 7 Preview: Buffalo Sabres-Montreal Canadiens Locked In a Tight Battle
The Round 2 series of the Eastern Conference in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs will go to Game 7 after the Buffalo Sabres overcame a deficit in the first period of Game 6 to score 7 unanswered goals and win 8-3 over the Montréal Canadiens.
The winner of the series will play the Carolina Hurricanes, who historically swept the first two rounds and will have had more than a week of rest before the Conference Finals. That will be a tough matchup for both the Sabres and Canadiens, that’s for sure.
Game 6 on May 16 was a great representation of the series as a whole, as it was a physical, high-scoring affair. The Sabres’ defenseman Rasmus Dahlin came through hugely, with a goal and 4 assists.
What the Sabres Need To Work On
The biggest issue for the Sabres, frankly, is that they don’t have a top-tier goalie like other teams in the playoffs. Alex Lyon suffered an injury in April and didn’t play for several weeks, but returned just before the postseason. He played in all but Game 1 of the first round against the Boston Bruins and allowed 4 goals through the round.
Initially, in Round 2, he was playing well and playing as the solo goalie for Buffalo. After allowing 4 goals in Game 3, though, Lyon was pulled in favor of Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen in Game 4.
Game 5 didn’t go Lyon’s way either, as he subbed in for Lukkonen in the third period and allowed in 1 goal on 3 shots in less than 14 minutes. Game 6 was a poor outing as he faced 4 shots; 3 of those pucks were goals for the Canadiens. Lukkonnen subbed in after 10 minutes of play, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see Lyon in the net in the ultra-important Game 7 on home ice unless something goes wrong with Lukkonnen.
Goalie Comparison
In the regular season, Lyon recorded statistics of a 2.77 GAA, a SV% of 0.907, and 3 shutouts. The last statistic put him at 10th in the NHL. Speaking of Lukkonnen, he’s been off and on this postseason for the Sabres. In Game 1 versus the Boston Bruins, he allowed 3 goals, and in Game 2, he was pulled after 40 minutes after allowing 4 goals.
In Round 2, Lukkonnen didn’t play until Game 4, where he played the whole time and allowed 2 goals. He was pulled after allowing 5 goals in 2 periods in Game 5, but was strong in Game 6, allowing no goals in around 50 minutes of play. In the regular season, Lukkonen had the 9th-best GAA in the league with 2.52, a SV% of 0.910 that tied for 6th, and one shutout.
Despite being strong in power play, the Sabres need a few regular-season stars to step up. Alex Tuch (66 points and 33 goals), Ryan McLeod (54 points and 14 goals), Josh Doan (25 goals and 52 points), and Jack Quinn (20 goals and 51 points) haven’t been scoring many points, and the Sabres will need everyone to be at the top of their game to close things out at home on May 18.
What the Canadiens Need To Work On
The Canadiens have one goalie that they’ve gone with consistently through the playoffs, Jakub Dobes. He is playing his second season in the NHL and has been doing well.
Dobes allowed 14 goals in 7 games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, a solid performance from him. The Sabres, who are a high-scoring team when playing well, have given him a bit more trouble, especially in Game 6. He allowed 4 goals in Game 2, then 6 in Game 6. With no real backup, though, Dobes will simply have to pull himself together for Game 7. In the regular season, Dobes had a GAA of 2.78 and a SV% of 0.901.
Power play goals are an important element to the Canadiens’ game, especially for captain Nick Suzuki. The Sabres, however, are excellent at killing penalties and have limited the Canadiens to 12 power-play goals in both series. As Game 6 showed, the Sabres are deadly on the power play (going 4-for-6 on May 16), and the Canadiens have given them too many opportunities to play with the upper hand.
Looking Ahead To Game 7
Sloppiness here and there, combined with 3 games of strong playing resulting in wins for the Canadiens, have proven that Montréal and Buffalo are generally an evenly matched pair. Even though the Sabres dominated the final 40 minutes of play in Game 6, they are not guaranteed to win Game 7. Really, it’s anyone’s game; the Sabres just have a bit more momentum coming in.
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