The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 8-3 in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series at the Bell Centre. Buffalo recovered from an early 3-1 deficit to force a decisive Game 7, keeping their historic postseason run alive and moving one step closer to ending a 14-year playoff drought.
Starting goaltender Alex Lyon allowed three goals on just four shots in the opening 10:14 of the game before he was pulled from the net. Relief goaltender Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen entered the game and shut down the Montreal offense for the remainder of the night. He made 18 consecutive saves in relief as the Sabres secured the 8-3 final victory.
Jason Zucker scored the first of seven unanswered goals for Buffalo following the early goaltending change. Forward Tage Thompson anchored the offensive push by collecting four points. Buffalo Head Coach Lindy Ruff stated the team played a “hell of a first period” and simply lost the initial scoresheet battle before regaining their composure.
The Sabres have now executed mid-game goaltending swaps in each of their last two playoff matchups against the Canadiens. The winner of Monday night’s Game 7 at the KeyBank Center will advance to the Eastern Conference Final to face the resting Carolina Hurricanes. Buffalo enters the decisive home matchup having won only two of their six home games during the current playoff run.