The Sabres are 1-0 in this series and playing in the second round for the first time since 2007, which feels worth saying out loud. They got Game 1 the way they were going to need to win games in this round: special teams. Buffalo went 2-for-3 on the power play, with Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scoring on back-to-back man advantages. Byram's goal was his 4th of the playoffs, tying the franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a single postseason.
Montreal's problem in the opener wasn't really effort, it was the middle frame. Josh Doan and McLeod each finished with a goal and an assist, Jordan Greenway chipped in, and Alex Lyon stopped 26. Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach answered for the Habs, but Jakub Dobes only had to make 12 saves and still walked off the loser, which tells you exactly how lopsided the shot share was.
The injury news cuts a little deeper for Buffalo than the box score lets on. Noah Ostlund (lower body) is out for the round, and Sam Carrick is day-to-day. Center depth gets thin in a hurry when you're trying to match lines on the road in Game 3 and beyond, so the Sabres need to keep pressing while they're at home.
- Day-To-DaySam Carrick C — day-to-day
- OutNoah Ostlund C — Ostlund (lower body) isn't expected to be available to play in the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News on Sunday.
The market still loves Buffalo at home — Sabres -1.5 sit at -229 at Pinnacle and home moneyline is -124 with DK heavier at -135. Total is locked at 5.5 with the over juiced to -119, which makes sense given these two have now combined for 6+ goals in 9 straight meetings. The model says no value either way, and the EV numbers back that up. If you're playing this one, you're playing it on a read, not a price.
Game 2 is the spot where this series either becomes a series or starts looking like a problem for Montreal. Win, and they steal home ice back heading to the Bell Centre. Lose, and you're staring down 0-2 with a Sabres team that just figured out its power play. Puck drops at 6:05 PM CT from KeyBank.