Rasmus Dahlin tied a franchise postseason record with five points (one goal, four assists) and Tage Thompson posted one goal and three assists to pace the visiting Buffalo Sabres to a 8-3 comeback victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, forcing a seventh game in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jack Quinn tallied twice in a three-point performance, Zach Benson and Jason Zucker both collected one goal and one assist, and Konsta Helenius and Zach Metsa added a goal apiece for the Sabres, who finished the game with seven unanswered goals.
“It’s unreal to win this game. Now we have a chance to advance,” Dahlin said postgame to Sportsnet. “The whole group stepped up and played an ‘A’ game. Every individual had their best game. That’s what we need.”
Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves after starter Alex Lyon was pulled when he surrendered three goals on four shots.
It’s the first time since Game 3 of the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals that the Sabres won a playoff game after making a performance-based goalie change.
Game 7 will be Monday in Buffalo. The winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final.
“That’s why I play hockey. That’s what I want to do. I live for this,” Dahlin said.
“There’s no panic or anything. I think we’re all excited. Just more hockey for us,” Montreal’s Lane Hutson countered. “We don’t like it easy. We like the challenge. They brought their best and we’ve got to answer the bell.”
Jake Evans collected one goal and one assist, while Arber Xhekaj and Ivan Demidov each tallied once for the Canadiens.
Goalie Jakub Dobes was tagged for six goals on 33 shots before being pulled. Jacob Fowler stopped one of two shots in relief.
With his team trailing 3-2, Benson tied the clash when he cashed in a loose puck 60 seconds into the second period.
Things got away quickly there from Montreal, which took its first loss in franchise history in a potential series-clinching home playoff game it led by multiple goals.
Quinn’s power-play marker at 10:54 of the frame, his first career playoff goal, put Buffalo ahead, and Helenius made it a 5-3 count by finishing a 2-on-1 rush at 12:59 of the period.
“We’re up a goal in the second period and in a good spot and lost control of the game there,” Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said. “We were pushing in the third and they get that power-play goal that put it out of reach.”
Quinn added his second of the game midway through the third period, Thompson netted an empty-net goal and Metsa notched his first career playoff goal with a late power-play marker — Buffalo’s fourth of the game — to round out the scoring.
“I feel like every game’s had a lot of chaos to it, so I think we’re getting used to it,” Quinn said to Sportsnet postgame. “We knew we played well in the first (period) in stretches and just had to stick with it.”
It was a wasted opportunity for the Canadiens after holding a 3-2 lead at the first intermission. Buffalo tallied first when Dahlin converted the first shot 32 seconds into the clash, but Montreal responded with a trio of goals.
Xhekaj tied the game 68 seconds later on his team’s first shot for his first of the playoffs, Demidov put Montreal ahead on the power play at 8:12 and Evans added a short-handed goal at 10:14 to make it a 3-1 lead.
But Zucker sparked the Sabres with a power-play goal of his own at 13:56 of the wild frame and swung the pendulum the other direction.
–Field Level Media
