The Buffalo Sabres are set to face off against the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, starting Wednesday, May 6, at KeyBank Center.
Montreal secured its spot in this round by winning Game 7 against Tampa Bay on Sunday. As the Atlantic Division champions, the Sabres will have the home-ice advantage. Montreal wrapped up the regular season in third place with 106 points.
This season, Buffalo and Montreal met four times, each team winning two games. Notably, captain Nick Suzuki shone with eight points (2 goals, 6 assists), while Cole Caufield led in goals with five. On the Sabres’ side, Tage Thompson topped the score sheet with three goals and seven points across the matchups.
In the current playoffs, Montreal’s Juraj Slafkovsky, who celebrated his first 30-goal regular season, leads his team with three goals. Goalie Jakub Dobes has been a prominent figure, starting all seven games in the first round.
This marks the eighth playoff series between these two teams, with Montreal currently leading 4-3 in series wins. Their first playoff meeting was in 1973, where Buffalo lost, but the crowd showed their support with chants of “Thank you, Sabres.” Just two years later, Buffalo triumphed over Montreal to reach the 1975 Stanley Cup Final.
Buffalo also triumphed in their last playoff series, a four-game sweep in the 1998 conference semifinals. Historically, both teams have demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill, adding intensity to this long-standing rivalry.
The schedule for Round 2 is as follows:
- Game 1 – Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. | KeyBank Center (TNT, truTV, HBO MAX)
- Game 2 – Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. | KeyBank Center (TNT, truTV, HBO MAX)
- Game 3 – Sunday, May 10 at 7 p.m. | Bell Centre (ESPN)
- Game 4 – Tuesday, May 12, time TBD | Bell Centre (ESPN)
- Game 5 – Thursday, May 14, time TBD | KeyBank Center (TNT, truTV, HBO MAX)
- Game 6 – Saturday, May 16, time TBD | Bell Centre (ABC or ESPN)
- Game 7 – Monday, May 18, time TBD | KeyBank Center (ESPN)
Games 5-7 if necessary
