The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 in Game 5 of their second-round series. The Canadiens showcased a dominant performance after a hectic first period.
A hectic first period gave way to a dominant effort from the Habs, not to mention a well-deserved 6-3 win.
There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s dive into the highlights!
The Way She Goes
Buffalo opened the scoring thanks to a pair of fortuitous bounces, leading to Jason Zucker’s first goal of the playoffs, but it must be said that Alexandre Texier had an opportunity to clear the zone prior to the goal, making it another early, unforced error.
A double deflection beats Dobes, Sabres are up 1-0 early.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 14, 2026
As Was Foretold By The Elders
As we discussed ad nauseam prior to Game 5, the first line has done a much better job producing solid underlying numbers at 5v5, but their lack of goals is simply unacceptable at this point in the playoffs.
It may seem harsh, but such is life in professional sports.
The good news is that Cole Caufield scored his first 5v5 goal of spring on Thursday night, quickly responding to the lucky bounce from the Sabres to tie the game at 1-1.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 14, 2026
Luck Returns
While the Canadiens were unlucky to go down 1-0 early in the first period, they cannot claim the luck only went Buffalo’s way.
Alexandre Texier tied the game at 2-2, with yet another incredibly fortuitous bounce. It was his third goal of the playoffs, with assists awarded to Alexandre Carrier and Phillip Danault. As has been the case all year, Canadiens hockey included a heavy dose of excitement, with a side order of chaotic defending.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 14, 2026
Bananarama
Speaking of chaos, the Sabres re-established their lead shortly afterwards, with what can only be described as an incredibly weak goal on Jakub Dobes.
To Dobes’ credit, he’s clearly been the team’s most valuable player in the playoffs, but there’s no doubt the entire team groaned when Kostas Helenius scored with a weak wrist shot from far out.
It was just one bad goal, but it was also a goal in three consecutive shots from the Sabres. Dobes rebounded well in the later part of the frame, but it was clearly a rough start for the 24-year-old netminder.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 15, 2026
The Phenom
As per tradition, it did not take long for the lead to dissipate.
This time around, it was phenom Lane Hutson who did all the heavy lifting, setting up veteran Josh Anderson with an easy goal, his third of the playoffs.
No matter how often I am lucky to witness Hutson’s magic, his ability to draw all the attention continues to amaze me. If there was a metric for creating time and space for teammates in the offensive zone, I am certain Hutson would be among the league leaders.
I’d venture as far as suggesting he’d probably be No. 1, with a bullet, but I digress.
To be fair to the Sabres, they're not the first people to be mesmerized by Lane Hutson.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 15, 2026
Adversity On The Menu
It wouldn’t be a true Canadiens hockey game without an unreasonable dose of adversity. That’s when the Habs are at their best.
Ideally, they wouldn’t have to be in a situation where their backs are against the wall before finding their rhythm, but few things in sports are ideal.
All that matters is that the Canadiens tend to play well when the game is on the line, as evidenced by Ivan Demidov‘s nice rush, which resulted in Jake Evans’ first springtime goal.
The Habs capitalized on their only powerplay of the game, with a great assist via Juraj Slafkovsky. pic.twitter.com/A9r1ackTeW
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 15, 2026
Rookie Impact
Demidov, a player who has legitimately had a hard time generating scoring chances in recent games, enjoyed his best game of the playoffs, adding a goal to his assist midway through the third period.
Game 5 was truly a case of the Canadiens firing on all cylinders from an offensive standpoint, which bodes quite well for the upcoming match up(s) versus the Sabres.
A sweet Ivan Demidov SNIPE gives #GoHabsGo a 6-3 lead!
