The Montreal Canadiens faced the Buffalo Sabers in Game 5 of their tied second-round series on Thursday night.
A hectic first period paved the way for a dominant effort from the Habs, not to mention a solid 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 an accidental bounce, leading to Jason Zucker's first goal of the playoffs, but it must be said that Alexandre Texier had a chance to clear the zone before the goal, making it another early, unforced error.
Double deflection beats Dobbs, Sabers lead 1-0.
Jason Zucker's first goal of the playoffs: pic.twitter.com/dURKfL4PXR
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 14 May 2026
As the elders foretold
As we discussed in the ad before Game 5, the first line has done a much better job of producing solid underlying numbers at 5v5, but their lack of goals at this point in the playoffs is absolutely unacceptable.
This may sound harsh, but such is life in professional sports.
The good news is that Cole Caufield scored his first 5v5 goal of the spring on Thursday night, immediately responding to the Sabres' lucky bounce to tie the game at 1-1.
Unsurprisingly, fellow first liners Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkowski provided assistance.
Tie the game!
#GoHabsGo Respond with a goal via Cole Caufield, his first 5v5 goal of the playoffs!
Surprisingly, or not, Nick Suzuki provided assistance. pic.twitter.com/5BFEqHElfW
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 14 May 2026
luck returned
Although the Canadiens were unlucky and lost 1–0 early in the first period, they cannot claim that luck was solely on Buffalo's side.
Alexandre Texier tied the game at 2-2 with another incredibly fortuitous layup. It was his third goal of the playoffs, with assists from Alexandre Carrier and Philippe Danault. As has been the case all year, Canadiens hockey included a heavy dose of excitement, along with a side order of chaotic defence.
Exactly how the Habs planned it.
The game was tied, as the puck hit Texier just wide of the net. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/EZPxbwcqTP
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 14 May 2026
Bananarama
Speaking of chaos, the Sabers re-established their lead shortly after on what can only be described as an incredibly weak goal on Jacob Dobbs.
To Dobbs' credit, he has clearly been the team's most valuable player in the playoffs, but there's no doubt that the entire team groaned when Kostas Helenius scored with a weak wrist shot from distance.
It was just a bad goal, but it was also the Sabers' first three shots in a row. Dobbs rebounded nicely in the latter part of the frame, but it was clearly a tough start for the 24-year-old netminder.
Three goals on three shots for the Sabres.
Dobbs would like the last one back, it was tough. pic.twitter.com/Z2pI6zSS7f
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 14 May 2026
Faaaaaaaaaair be
As the game began, Dobbs settled in well, and provided excellent goaltending while the Sabers applied pressure in the second period.
Jacob Dobbs showed great patience to prevent Thompson from getting separated. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XaAa19mBwT
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 15 May 2026
phenom
As per tradition, it didn't take long for the leadership to disappear.
This time, it was phenom Lane Hutson who carried all the burden, giving up an easy goal to veteran Josh Anderson, his third of the playoffs.
No matter how many times I'm lucky enough to witness Hutson's magic, her ability to command everyone's attention never ceases to amaze me. If there were a metric for creating time and space for teammates in the offensive zone, I'm sure Hutson would be among the league leaders.
I'd venture to say he'd probably be No. 1 with a bullet, but I digress.
To be fair to the Sabres, they aren't the first to be charmed by Lane Hutson.
A great pass sets up Josh Anderson's goal. Game tied again. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/iUZm3KGZab
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 15 May 2026
It wouldn't be a true Canadiens hockey game without an unfair dose of adversity. That's when hubs are at their best.
Ideally, they won't have to be in a situation where their back is against the wall before they can find a rhythm, but some things in the game are ideal.
All that matters is that the Canadiens play well when the game is on the line, as evidenced by Ivan Demidov's nice flurry that resulted in Jake Evans' first springtime goal.
Eva...Jake Evans!!!! pic.twitter.com/OaR4VjaACC
- TVA Sports (@TVASports) 15 May 2026
opening the floodgates
From that point on, the Sabers continued to explode, but mainly because the Canadiens refused to apply the brakes.
Instead of maintaining their lead, they went overboard and this resulted in a flurry of goals.
Suzuki extended the lead to 5–3 with a powerplay goal, although Slafkowski deserves credit for offering a great assist.
Nick Suzuki makes it 5-3 #GoHabsGo!
The Habs made the most of their only power play of the game, with a big assist from Juraj Slafkowski. pic.twitter.com/A9r1ackTeW
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 15 May 2026
rookie effect
Demidov, a player who has had difficulty creating 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 really a case of the Canadiens firing on all cylinders from an offensive standpoint, which bodes well for the upcoming matchup against the Sabres.
A sweet Ivan Demidov gives SNIPE #GoHabsGo 6-3 lead!
What do you think about that save by Lane Hutson at the blue line? pic.twitter.com/hrmi4dLRkk
- Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 15 May 2026
Game 6 between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabers is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at 8 PM ET.
All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.
