Canadiens-Sabres Game 5 set May 14

The NHL set Game 5 of the Eastern Conference second-round series between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres for Thursday, May 14, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The league schedule listed a 7 p.m. EDT start, with TNT, truTV and HBO Max carrying the U.S. broadcast and Sportsnet, TVA Sports and CBC listed in Canada. NHL.com’s playoff preview said the best-of-seven matchup was tied 2-2 entering the night, making Game 5 the start of what it called a best-of-three for a place in the Eastern Conference final. The winner of the series was set to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round, according to the league preview. (nhl.com) ### Why was Game 5 drawing so much attention? A 2-2 series score made Thursday’s game the swing point of the matchup. NHL.com said the team that won Game 5 would move one victory from advancing, and Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff called it “a critical game” in comments published before puck drop. (nhl.com) Martin St. Louis, Montreal’s coach, said the Canadiens understood the stakes after a first-round series that went seven games. “You’re trying to win this battle against this team, and it takes four wins,” St. Louis said in the league preview. ### What did the official schedule show for May 14? (nhl.com) The NHL’s May 14 schedule page listed Canadiens at Sabres as Round 2, Game 5, with the series tied 2-2 and puck drop at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The same schedule page showed no NHL games on Friday, May 15. Buffalo’s own playoff schedule page, published May 2, matched that listing and said Game 5 would be played at KeyBank Center on TNT, truTV and HBO Max. (nhl.com) That team page also laid out the remaining if-necessary games in the series. ### What were the teams saying before the game? (nhl.com) Lindy Ruff said Buffalo needed urgency and discipline. NHL.com reported that the Sabres coach said his club knew “how important it is, this game” and added that both teams were “really evenly matched.” (nhl.com) NHL.com also said one of the main issues entering Game 5 was Buffalo’s penalty trouble. The preview noted the Sabres had been shorthanded seven times in Game 4 after also taking multiple penalties earlier in the series. ### What did the live game page show during play? (nhl.com) The NHL Gamecenter page showed the teams tied 3-3 in the second period on Thursday night. The scoring summary listed first-period goals for Buffalo from Jason Zucker, Owen Power and Konsta Helenius, and Montreal goals from Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier before Josh Anderson tied it in the second. (nhl.com) The same live page showed no penalties through the first and second periods at the moment captured, a contrast with the pregame focus on Buffalo’s penalty count earlier in the series. Because the Gamecenter page was still live, that snapshot reflected only the game state at the time it was accessed. (nhl.com) ### What was next on the calendar after Game 5? The NHL schedule listed Game 6, if necessary, for Saturday, May 16, in Montreal at 8 p.m. EDT. The league also listed Game 7, if necessary, for Monday, May 18, in Buffalo at 7:30 p.m. EDT, while the Sabres’ earlier team schedule page showed Game 7 with time to be determined when that page was published. (nhl.com) Those listings made Thursday’s game the last scheduled stop in Buffalo before a possible return to Bell Centre on May 16. The series winner was scheduled to move on to face Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2)