Sabres draw first blood in second round, beat Canadiens in Game 1

Game 2 is on Friday in Buffalo.

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Published May 06, 2026  •  Last updated 13 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Jordan Greenway of the Buffalo Sabres celebrates after scoring a goal against the Montréal Canadiens during the second period in Game One of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on May 6, 2026 in Buffalo. Photo by Rebecca Villagracia /Getty Images

BUFFALO — Momentum doesn’t always carry over in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Certainly it did not for the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center, some 72 hours after they eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round with a Game 7 victory.

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In starting from scratch in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres, the Canadiens got carved up in the best-of-seven opener, losing 4-2.

In front of a lively, raucous, towel-waving crowd, the Sabres’ persistence wasn’t met with proper pushback by the Canadiens.

And when his teammates faltered, Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes couldn’t pick them up.

Not only was Dobes unable to stop the puck — the Sabres scored on four of their first nine shots on goal — Dobes several times was treated to mocking cheers as the game progressed. Jack Quinn and Rasmus Dahlin were among the Sabres who beat Dobes, but not the post behind him.

Special teams, as they often do in the post-season, had a co-starring role.

The Sabres scored two power-play goals on three chances after managing to oust the Boston Bruins in the first round while going 1-for-24 in six games.

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Lane Hutson doesn’t mess up much on the Canadiens blue line, but when he fell in the neutral zone, it allowed Zach Benson to feed Josh Doan for the Sabres’ first goal at 4:31 of the first period. Hutson had a bumpy opening 20 minutes, as he also took a rare penalty in the opening minute.

Benson then set up Ryan McLeod for the Sabres’ second goal, at 13:26 on a man advantage.

Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki got the visitors invested with a goal in the final minute on a power play, but Jordan Greenway restored a two-goal lead early in the second period when his shot went off Dobes’ glove and into the net.

Bowen Byram went far side from the slot for the Sabres’ second goal and a 4-1 lead at 9:01 of the second. Kirby Dach knocked his own rebound, while falling, past Sabres goalie Alex Lyon late in the second period.

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