The CH squandered a two-goal lead and lost Game 6

Jonathan Di Gregorio
The CH squandered a two-goal lead and lost Game 6
Credit: DansLesCoulisses.com

Tonight, the Canadiens had the chance to eliminate the Sabres, and to mark the occasion, they played their first playoff game on a Saturday night—at the Bell Centre, no less.

Here are the lineups for both teams for tonight's game.

It was a do-or-die game for the Sabres, and they came out strong, scoring just 32 seconds into the game.

It was Rasmus Dahlin who served up a big assist to Juraj Slafkovsky to quickly give his team the lead.

However, the Sabres weren't able to hold onto that lead for long, as just a minute later, Arber Xhekaj scored his first goal of the playoffs to tie the game.

Then, the Habs capitalized on a power play to take the lead thanks to Ivan Demidov, who scored with a precise shot. Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield also recorded assists on the beautiful play that led to the goal.

Jake Evans then scored shorthanded on a two-on-one. It was the Habs' third goal on just three shots and the end of the line for Alexander Lyon, who was replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Just as the Canadiens seemed to be in full control of the game, Mike Matheson was assessed a double minor for high sticking, allowing Jason Zucker to cut the home team's lead to a single goal.

3-2 for the Habs after 20 minutes of play.

Once again, the Sabres came out strong and needed just one minute to tie the game. Zach Benson beat Jakub Dobes to score his fifth goal of the playoffs.

That goal gave the visitors a boost, and they capitalized on another power play to retake the lead with a goal by Jack Quinn, assisted by Dahlin and Tage Thompson.

Then, Buffalo continued its dominance by scoring a fourth unanswered goal when Konsta Helenius beat Dobes to extend the visitors' lead.

5-2 for the Sabres, who played their best period of the series.

Unfortunately, the Canadiens were unable to make a comeback in the third period, and instead, the Sabres capitalized on another power play to make it 6-3 when Jack Quinn scored his second of the game, assisted by Thompson and Dahlin. It was the visitors' third power-play goal, which also forced Dobes out of the game. It also marked Jacob Fowler's playoff debut.

The Canadiens went all out by pulling their goalie with over six minutes remaining, but the visitors quickly scored into an empty net to seal the deal.

Then, to add insult to injury, the Sabres scored an eighth goal when Zach Metsa beat Fowler to score his first goal of the playoffs.

Final score: 8–3 for the Sabres. Dahlin recorded five points—one goal and four assists—in the game.

Despite a strong start, the Canadiens collapsed after the Sabres' second goal and essentially shot themselves in the foot in this game.

It was by far the Habs' worst defensive game since the start of the playoffs, and Dobes, despite making a few nice saves, couldn't make the difference in this game.

The good news is that we wipe the slate clean and start from scratch for the next game, as the Habs will simply need to return to the style of play that has brought them success since the start of the series against the Sabres.

The next and final game of this series will take place Monday night in Buffalo.


Overtime

Once again, the Canadiens failed to win Game 6 to eliminate their opponent. They'll face the Sabres again on Monday night for a second consecutive Game 7. It's important to remember that during this time, Carolina is resting and waiting for the winner of this series. And if the Canadiens want to win this final game, they'll have to be much more solid, especially in their own zone.

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