Montreal Canadiens lead Sabres 3-2

The Montreal Canadiens moved within one win of the Eastern Conference final with a 6-3 road victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 on Thursday at KeyBank Center. Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists, Juraj Slafkovsky added three assists, and Ivan Demidov scored his first career playoff goal for Montreal. The win gave the Canadiens a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven second-round series. Game 6 is set for Saturday night at Bell Centre in Montreal. Buffalo led three separate times in the first 30 minutes, but Montreal answered each time and then pulled away with four unanswered goals. Jason Zucker, Josh Doan and Konsta Helenius scored for the Sabres, while Cole Caufield, Alexandre Texier, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Suzuki and Demidov scored for the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes finished with 33 saves for Montreal after allowing three goals on the first four shots he faced. (nhl.com) ### How did Montreal turn a 3-2 deficit into control of the game? Josh Anderson tied the game 3-3 at 8:01 of the second period, starting the stretch that changed the night. Jake Evans then put Montreal ahead 4-3 at 16:15, and Suzuki scored on the power play at 17:33 to extend the lead to two goals. Demidov added another power-play goal at 3:32 of the third period. (nhl.com) Nick Suzuki said Montreal understood the chance in front of it as the series shifts back home. “We saw against Tampa, it takes a lot to close out a team,” Suzuki said, according to NHL.com. “And we have another opportunity to do that.” ### Which players drove the Canadiens’ offense? (nhl.com) Nick Suzuki led Montreal’s scoring with three points, and Juraj Slafkovsky also had three points with three assists. Ivan Demidov had a goal and an assist, Phillip Danault and Lane Hutson each recorded two assists, and Cole Caufield scored Montreal’s first goal after Buffalo opened the game with an early lead. (nhl.com) CBC, citing the game result, said Montreal’s top line finally broke through after quieter production earlier in the series. Suzuki, Slafkovsky and Caufield all reached the scoresheet in Game 5 after combining for four goals and five assists through the first four games, according to the report. (nhl.com) ### What went wrong for Buffalo after the fast start? Buffalo scored three times on its first four shots and held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2, but could not hold any of them. Alex Tuch said the Sabres were second-best after the opening push. “They pushed harder than we did,” Tuch said, according to NHL.com. “We gave them opportunities and chances, and on ours we didn’t bear down.” (cbc.ca) Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed five goals on 23 shots over two periods before Alex Lyon replaced him to start the third. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said one of the goals from a difficult angle was one Luukkonen likely wanted back, but he did not put the loss solely on the goaltender. (nhl.com) ### How important was special teams? Montreal went 2-for-2 on the power play in Game 5 after scoring once on seven chances in Game 4, according to the Sabres’ game report. Suzuki’s goal came 10 seconds into a power play created by Tage Thompson’s cross-checking penalty, and Demidov scored early in the third after Rasmus Dahlin was penalized. (nhl.com) The special-teams swing came late in the second period, when Buffalo was still within one goal. Suzuki converted Slafkovsky’s pass from the lower right circle to make it 5-3, and Buffalo did not score again. ### What happens next in the series? Game 6 will be played Saturday at Bell Centre, where Montreal can clinch the series and a place in the Eastern Conference final. (nhl.com) The Montreal Gazette reported the Canadiens would face the Carolina Hurricanes with a win in Game 6. Buffalo enters Saturday facing elimination for the first time in this postseason. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)