Tonight the Sabres started hot and looked good early at home for Game 5, but crumbled apart early in the horrendous second, giving up three straight goals to go on to lose 6-3 and be a game away from elimination.
The Sabres scored early, looking solid to start tonight, with a far shot from Jack Quinn going off two skates and getting deflected into the net from Jason Zucker to give us a 1-0 lead exactly two minutes into the game. Nice start! The Habs tied it 6:31 in, with a bad turnover by Timmons and Norris in our zone, and Nick Suzuki held it a couple seconds to set up Cole Caufield for the tip in. Just 1:14 later, our best line this series lead to a shot by Josh Doan with Norris and Benson screening Dobes to go right through them and into the back of the net. Just nine seconds later though, the Habs answered right back to tie it at 2, with a shot from up top by Alex Carrier, going off Alex Texier’s skate and into the net. Unreal. No shot that’s getting stopped though. With 9:45 left in the first, the Sabres got the lead back again with a simple shot by Konsta Helenius, in only his second playoff game and eleventh NHL game, just throwing it on net and beating Dobes five hole that made Dobes look bad, really for the first time all series. Crazy first period, but man that was fun, yet nerve wracking to watch. But I thought we played well and looked like the better team through that first period, finally looking like we’re playing our game. Loved that period from a betting standpoint, just needing one more goal for the over and already cashing my Doan prop.
Buffalo still looked good in the second, but started to fall apart. Josh Anderson was able to sneak past the entire Sabres defense as they all were just puck watching, with Lane Hutson setting him up to tie it up with 11:59 left in the second. Garbage defense. For about three minutes or so before that goal, you could tell we were falling apart big time on the back end before the goal. Cash the over though. Montreal got their first lead of the game with 3:45 left in the second, with a shot down low by Ivan Demidov on a nice little move sneaking through UPL’s five hole and getting shoved into the net by Evans to make it 4-3 Habs. Awful goal to give up for Luukkonen. Entirely on him. Just 1:18 later, Nick Suzuki scored to make it 5-3 Habs on the power play, ten seconds into a stupid cross checking penalty by Tage. Another terrible goal for UPL to give up. This guy fucking sucks. Horrendous period for us. We got dominated, with the defense looking lost and giving up way too many good lucks and UPL giving up two brutal goals. Lyon probably should’ve been in the net again tonight. I don’t care that Luukkonen won the last one. This series is over. Same fucking shit as the last three games. The Habs have dominated every game of this series. Not a chance we win two in a row after tonight with how we’ve played all series, and Montreal hasn’t lost two games in a row since March. This season will be done Saturday night.
Alex Lyon took over the crease to start the third period, but in my opinion its too late to matter. Right move, but too little, too late. This series is already over. With a stupid penalty taken by Rasmus Dahlin, Ivan Demidov, the demigod for his first of the playoffs, ripped a great shot past Lyon as Timmons screened him, making it 6-3 with 16:28 left in yet another garbage game. Lindy pulled Lyon with six and a half minutes left. We got nothing else out of that game and we’re a game away from elimination, getting dominated again.
FINAL: Sabres 3, Canadiens 6
Canadiens lead series 3-2
We looked good early. I thought through the first period of the game we were the better team and looked like we were the better team just playing our game, getting off to a lead. But I couldn’t believe, well actually I could, how we just completely crumbled in the second period. The defense just got caught puck watching and then UPL gives up two horrible goals, with a stupid penalty causing one of them, and at that point it was it. Series is over. Season is over. 80% of teams that win Game 5 go on to win the series, and I’d assuming that number is even higher when the lower seed wins Game 5 to go home and close it out. Especially when it’s a team that hasn’t lost two games in a row since March. Ain’t happening. Montreal’s dominated us every game this series, even in the two that we won. It looked like it was different to start tonight, but of course it crumbled. At this point, just end this misery on Saturday. We’re done. Better team’s gonna win. It’s been great 2026 Buffalo Sabres, gonna be sad when it officially ends on Saturday, but this is done.
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