Buffalo Sabres force Game 7

The Buffalo Sabres pushed their second-round series with the Montreal Canadiens to a deciding game by winning 8-3 at Bell Centre on Saturday, May 16, according to NHL.com. Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and four assists, Tage Thompson had a goal and three assists, and Buffalo erased an early 3-1 deficit with seven unanswered goals. The result tied the Eastern Conference Second Round series at 3-3 and sent it back to Buffalo for Game 7. NHL.com’s playoff bracket shows the winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. ### How did Buffalo turn a 3-1 hole into an 8-3 win? Montreal led 3-1 just 10:14 into the first period after goals from Arber Xhekaj, Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans, according to the NHL game report. Buffalo answered before intermission on Jason Zucker’s power-play goal at 13:56, then tied it 3-3 on Zach Benson’s goal one minute into the second period. (nhl.com) The Sabres took control in the second period. Jack Quinn scored a power-play goal at 10:54 for a 4-3 lead, and Konsta Helenius made it 5-3 at 12:59. In the third, Quinn added another power-play goal, Thompson scored into an empty net, and Zach Metsa added a late power-play marker in his playoff debut, NHL.com said. ### Which players drove the Game 6 breakout? (nhl.com) Dahlin finished with five points, the highest total in the game, while Thompson had four points and Quinn scored twice, according to NHL.com. Benson had a goal and an assist, Zucker scored once and set up another, and Buffalo got offense from six different goal scorers. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen also changed the game in net. (nhl.com) NHL.com said Luukkonen stopped 18 shots in relief for Buffalo after the Canadiens’ early burst, helping the Sabres stabilize after Montreal’s three goals in the opening 10 minutes. ### Why does the road-team pattern stand out in this series? The series has turned heavily on away-ice results. (nhl.com) Buffalo won Game 1 in Montreal, lost Games 2 and 3 at home, won Game 4 at home, lost Game 5 in Montreal and then won Game 6 on the road, according to the NHL playoff bracket and CBS Sports’ series listing. That sequence means the visiting team has won four of the six games so far. (nhl.com) Buffalo’s Game 6 win at Bell Centre kept that pattern alive and shifted the series back to KeyBank Center with both teams one win from the conference final. ### What did the Game 6 score say about special teams and momentum? Buffalo scored three power-play goals in Game 6, with Zucker, Quinn and Metsa all converting on the man advantage, according to NHL.com’s game log. (nhl.com) Montreal’s early lead included a power-play goal by Demidov and a short-handed goal by Evans, but the Canadiens did not add another goal after the first period. (nhl.com) The shot totals also tilted toward Buffalo. NHL.com listed the Sabres with 36 shots on goal to Montreal’s 22, a margin that matched Buffalo’s territorial edge once the game settled after the Canadiens’ fast start. ### What is next, and when is Game 7? Game 7 is scheduled for Monday, May 18, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, with a 7:30 p.m. (nhl.com) ET start, according to NHL.com. The league’s Game 7 preview lists ESPN, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports as broadcasters. Carolina is already through after a four-game sweep of Philadelphia, NHL.com’s bracket shows. (nhl.com) The Sabres-Canadiens winner will advance to meet the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)