Buffalo Sabres force Game 7

The Buffalo Sabres forced a Game 7 on Saturday, May 16, with an 8-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal, according to NHL.com and the Associated Press. Rasmus Dahlin had five points, Tage Thompson had four, and Buffalo erased an early two-goal deficit to keep its season alive. The Sabres scored five times in the second period and seven unanswered goals overall after trailing 3-1 in the first. Game 7 is set for Monday, May 18, in Buffalo, with the second-round series tied 3-3, NHL.com said. ### How did Buffalo turn a 3-1 deficit into an 8-3 win? Montreal led 3-1 in the first period before Buffalo took over the game, NHL.com reported. The Canadiens got goals from Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Alex Newhook, while the Sabres’ first goal came from Jason Zucker. The second period changed the night. Buffalo scored five goals in the middle frame, with Dahlin, Jack Quinn, Jiri Kulich, Owen Power and Thompson all finding the net, according to NHL.com’s recap and gamecenter. The Sabres then added two more in the third period, from Quinn and Thompson, to complete the rout. ### Which Buffalo players drove the comeback? Rasmus Dahlin finished with one goal and four assists in Game 6, NHL.com reported. Thompson had two goals and two assists, and Quinn scored twice. Jason Zucker had a goal and two assists, while Owen Power had a goal and an assist, according to the NHL game summary. Buffalo outshot Montreal 36-22. (nhl.com) ### What happened in goal for the Sabres? Alex Lyon started for Buffalo but was pulled after allowing three goals on four shots, the Associated Press reported. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen entered in relief and stopped 18 shots the rest of the way. Luukkonen’s relief appearance stabilized the game after Montreal’s fast start. NHL.com said Buffalo then scored seven straight goals after the goalie change. (nhl.com) ### How unusual was the scoring burst? Buffalo’s five-goal second period was the decisive stretch of the game, NHL.com reported. The Sabres entered the night facing elimination and responded with their highest-scoring game of the series. The NHL gamecenter listed Buffalo at 50-23-9 on the season entering Game 6. Saturday’s result tied the series at three wins apiece after Montreal had taken a 3-2 series lead with a 6-3 win in Game 5 on May 14, according to NHL.com’s playoff coverage. (apnews.com) ### What does Game 7 look like now? NHL.com’s second-round schedule lists Game 7 for Monday, May 18, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The winner will advance from the Eastern Conference second round. The NHL schedule page listed the game for 7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN as of May 17. Montreal and Buffalo enter the finale with the series even at 3-3 after splitting the first six games. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (nhl.com 3)