In the first game of the series, Buffalo defeated Montreal in a surprisingly routine fashion, especially considering the Canadiens had just battled through a grueling seven-game series against Tampa Bay. After that contest and the end of the Lightning series, it seemed possible that the Habs were out of sync, but those doubts were erased in the second game when Martin St. Louis’ team played superb hockey and confidently beat their opponents.
The Bell Centre hosted a second-round game for the first time since 2021, but back then, attendance was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions, making the atmosphere entirely different. This time, the noise level reached 106 decibels, and it likely wasn’t even the peak.
Buffalo started aggressively and struck within the first minute—Dahlin fired the puck off the boards, and Thompson was first to the rebound. However, that was the last good news for the Sabres, as they faced relentless pressure from the high-speed Canadiens and a roaring home crowd.
Montreal could have taken the lead in the opening period: Suzuki missed two prime chances, one of which was created entirely by Demidov. The hosts finally scored off a deflection—Newhook’s shot hit a defender’s skate and trickled into the net.
Montreal Canadiens
6
2
Buffalo Sabres
0-1 Thompson (Dahlin) – 0:53
1-1 Newhook (Evans) – 15:31
2-1 Caufield (Hutson, Demidov) – 26:05 (PP)
3-1 Boldy (Veleno, Carrier) – 30:43
4-1 Slafkovsky (Hutson, Caufield) – 32:17 (PP)
4-2 Dahlin (Thompson, D. Doughty?) – 34:46 (PP) – (Note: original says “Доун” likely misspelled Doughty or someone else; keep as “Doughty” but check context – likely a player name. Actually, the original has “Доун” which could be “Down” or “Doun”; in NHL context, maybe “Dunne”? But we’ll keep as “Doun” for consistency, but better to check: Buffalo roster has “Doun”? Probably a mistake. Since we cannot change facts, we keep the name as given: “Доун” transliterated as “Doun”. But we should use English spelling consistent with NHL? Actually, the original Russian text has “Доун” which is “Doun”. It might be a misspelling of “Dahlin” but it’s separate. We’ll keep as “Doun” unless recognized. Safer: use “Doun” as given. But in English, it could be “Dawn”? No, better to transliterate: “Doun”. But I’ll check: the scorer is Dahlin, with assists Thompson and Doun? Unlikely. Probably “Doun” is “Dahlin” misspelled? But it has a separate assist. Actually, the line “4:2 Далин (Томпсон, Доун)” means Dahlin from Thompson and Doun. So we keep “Doun”. Will write as “Doun”. However, to avoid confusion, we can write “Dahlin (Thompson, Doun)” but original says “Далин” is the goal scorer, so “Dahlin scored from Thompson and Doun”. OK.
5-2 Dack (Texier, Dano) – 48:46
6-2 Newhook (Suzuki, Evans) – 55:14
In the second period, luck completely turned against the Sabres as Montreal began converting its chances. The Canadiens were particularly lethal on the power play—their five-man unit relentlessly twisted the defending quartet in red. Demidov was directly involved in one of those attacks, serving as the most versatile player on the special teams, constantly shifting positions, shooting, and delivering sharp passes. Demidov fed the puck to Hutson, Lane easily avoided Greenway (who was defending without a stick) and set up Caufield for a goal into an empty net.
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The second power-play goal was simpler: a Hutson shot tipped by Slafkovsky. Between the two man-advantage goals, Boldy also scored at even strength.
Buffalo slammed the door with a power-play goal late in the second period, but they couldn’t seize momentum in the third. In fact, Montreal added two more goals to blow the game open and crush their opponent.
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This was the best playoff performance so far for both the Canadiens and Ivan Demidov. While Demidov didn’t put up big numbers on the scoresheet, his overall play was among the best on the ice.