The Sabres are down 2-1 in the second round and the last two games haven't been close. Montreal hung 5 on them in Game 2, then 6 in Game 3, and Cole Caufield has officially decided he's running this series. Buffalo gets one more crack at it tonight in Montreal before the series shifts back to KeyBank — lose and they're flying home down 3-1, which historically is where Cup runs go to die.
Alex Tuch didn't sugarcoat it after Game 3, calling it his worst defensive game of the playoffs and labeling his performance on Montreal's third goal 'unacceptable.' Lindy Ruff was even blunter — he wants the version of his team that closed out Boston in Round 1, not whatever the hell that was Sunday night. The Sabres' problems in Game 3 weren't talent, they were decision-making: blown coverages, lazy first touches, missed backchecks. That's all fixable in 48 hours. Whether it actually gets fixed is the question.
- Injured ReserveJiri Kulich C — Kulich (ear) has been improving but will likely miss the rest of the regular season, Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550 reports Friday.
- Injured ReserveJustin Danforth RW — Danforth (lower body) is trending toward a post-Olympic return to action, Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald reports Monday.
- 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.
- Injured ReservePatrik Laine RW — Laine (abdomen) is practicing Saturday in a non-contact jersey, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
The injury report doesn't do Buffalo any favors either. Noah Ostlund is out for the round, Jiri Kulich and Justin Danforth are both on IR, and the Sabres are basically asking their top guys to drag them across the line. Montreal is dealing with Patrik Laine still on IR, but they've been deep enough up front to absorb it — and Caufield is making sure nobody asks about Laine anyway.
Pinnacle has Montreal at -137 on the moneyline, which lines up with the eye test — home ice, momentum, a team that's looked two gears faster the last two games. The Sabres at +122 are priced like a team that absolutely could steal one and absolutely might not show up. The total sitting at 6 makes sense given Game 2 and Game 3 both blew the roof off; if Buffalo plays scared again, this thing's headed over by the second intermission.
Bottom line: the Sabres have one game tonight to remember what they did in Game 1 — physical, fast, owning the neutral zone. If they get that team back, this is a series again. If they get the Game 3 version, you can start booking tee times. Puck drop is in Montreal and the Bell Centre is going to be unbearable. Buckle up.