The Buffalo Sabres had a great run this season. A first place finish in the Atlantic Division, their first time back in the playoffs in 15 years, and a run to Game 7 overtime of the second round. But one area that began to spring leaks as the postseason wore on was between the pipes. "Their two main guys had been leaky in the playoffs, and specifically, Ukko-Pekka Luukkanen," Jeff Marek said on Daily Faceoff Live. He then went on to propose swinging a bold blockbuster that could fix that...
2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference Final
Game 1: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Carolina Hurricanes (M1)
Start time: **8:00 PM EDT / 5:00 PM PDT** In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French) In the United States: TNT, truTV Streaming: HBO Max, Sportsnet+
After an entertaining series with the Buffalo Sabres that saw a total of 50 goals scored, the Montreal Canadiens will now prepare for a best-of-seven that is slated to look more their opening-round set ...
The Vegas Golden Knights capitalized on the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night, following the announcement that superstar defenceman Cale Makar would not be available for Game 1 of the series. Cale Makar will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference Final vs. the Golden Knights, per head coach Jared Bednar. pic.twitter.com/AZgE26PbGV — TSN (@TSN_Sports) May…
There is only one former Ohio State Buckeye left in the NHL Playoffs. Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobeš has played a major role in the Canadiens advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals after outlasting both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres in seven game series in the first two rounds. Heading into the 2025-26 season, […]
The NHL playoffs have been going on for over a month now, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we’re very disappointed. Not over everything, because a lot of this year’s postseason has been pretty fun. But we’re hockey fans, and we like to be cranky. And like every season, the playoffs give us plenty of opportunity to single out individual players for a disapproving head-shake or two. Today, we’re making a team out of those guys. We’ll be building a full 21-man roster, which is to ...
The Conference Finals are now set in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Canadiens beat the Sabres in a thrilling Game 7 on Monday night in Buffalo to join the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, meanwhile, over in the Western Conference Final, it’ll be the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Every team takes a different path to contention and pivots at key points to remain there. The Philadelphia Flyers arrived i...
Your Tuesday edition of the Links, News and Notes!
The time has finally come. Montreal defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime on Monday night and have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals to do battle with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes last played on May 9th and have been waiting patiently to see who their opponent would be. They are off today and are […]
Following the disappointing night that was game six at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens had one more chance in game seven against the Buffalo Sabres. Everything seemed to be going according to plan after one period, with them playing well, and opening up a two-goal lead going into the second. But the second and third periods were dominated by Buffalo, the worst lead in hockey was eventually erased, and the Habs essentially held on to get to overtime.
Then, it happened. For the seco...
The Buffalo Sabres exceeded expectations this season, but they'll be heading home for the summer with a sour taste in their mouths after losing Game 7 in overtime to their rival Montreal Canadiens. It was great to see the Sabres relevant again and it's certainly better for hockey in general, so kudos to their management team for turning things around after years and years of disappointment under Kevyn Adams. There's some big decisions to make now heading into the offseason, one that includes t...
Welcome to Tuesday, folks! A new week is upon us, and we have one more team joining the ranks of the eliminated. And then there were four The Buffalo Sabres were knocked out of the playoffs via a 3-2 OT loss to Montreal on Monday night, sending the Habs on to the Eastern Conference Final. […]
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+
For the first time in the playoffs, Jakub Dobeš was removed without completing a game, allowing more than three goals for the second time this round when he surrendered six, including three power-play goals....
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 […]