The Montreal Canadiens (6-5) will face the Buffalo Sabers (6-4) in Game 6 of their second-round series on Saturday, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The Habs swept the Sabers in Game 5 after Montreal and Buffalo scored four goals each in the first period.
In the middle frame, three consecutive goals from Josh Anderson, Jake Evans and Nick Suzuki put the Canadiens away from the Sabers in the third period.
In Game 5, Ivan Demidov paced the side by scoring on the power play just over three minutes into the third period, sealing a 6–3 victory for Montreal.
With a 3-2 lead, the series shifts back to Montreal where the Canadiens can punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals.
It's worth noting for Game 6 that Montreal's first line finally broke through for a combined seven points on Thursday. Suzuki added two assists to his goal, Juraj Slafkowski provided three assists, and Cole Coffield scored his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Ivan Demidov has certainly made himself a factor on the scoresheet in this series, scoring a goal and two points in Game 5, giving him five points (1G, 4A) in the series.
From the blueline, Lane Hutson is providing on the scoresheet as well. After his second multi-assist game of the series on Thursday, Hutson is up to six assists in five games against Buffalo.
Possible Lineup Changes
As you already know, if Martin St. Louis If any lineup changes are made, he'll keep them close to the vest. We probably won't know until warmups, but will update here in the rare case he decides to reveal something.
The Sabers face an interesting dilemma. He gave the net back to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but Lindy Ruff pulled him off Alex Lyon after allowing five goals. So who will be in Buffalo's goal for Game 6?
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Coffield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkowski
Alex Newhook - Jake Evans - Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier - Philippe Danault - Josh Anderson
Zachary Bolduc - Kirby Dach - Joe Veleno
Mike Matheson - Alexandre Carrier
Lane Hutson - Noah Dobson
Arbor Zekaj - Caden Guhle
jacob dobbs
jacob fowler
Buffalo Sabers Projected Lineup
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker - Konsta Helenius - Jack Quinn
Zach Benson - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Jordan Greenway - Ryan McLeod - Beck Malensteen
Rasmus Dahlin - Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Luke Shannon - Connor Timmins
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
How to watch Hubs Vs. sabers game 6
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, May 16, 2026, will be broadcast on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.
Additional NHL Playoff Analysis
