The third game of the NHL quarterfinal playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres concluded on Monday, May 11, 2026, at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The home team secured a dominant 6-2 victory, moving ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.
**Montreal Canadiens 6 – 2 Buffalo Sabres**
**Scoring Summary:**
– **0:1** – Tage Thompson (Rasmus Dahlin) – 00:53
– **1:1** – Alex Newhook (Jake Evans) – 15:31
– **2:1** – Cole Caufield (Mike Matheson, Ivan Demidov) – 26:05 (PP)
– **3:1** – Zachary Bolduc (Jesse Ylönen, Jordan Carriere) – 30:43
– **4:1** – Juraj Slafkovsky (Mike Matheson, Cole Caufield) – 32:17 (PP)
– **4:2** – Rasmus Dahlin (Tage Thompson, Max Domi) – 34:46 (PP)
– **5:2** – Kirby Dach (Alex Texier, Jonathan Dano) – 48:46
– **6:2** – Alex Newhook (Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans) – 55:14
For Montreal, Alex Newhook scored twice, while Cole Caufield, Zachary Bolduc, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Kirby Dach each added one goal. Russian forward Ivan Demidov registered a primary assist on Caufield’s power-play marker. For Buffalo, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin found the net, but the Sabres could not keep pace with Montreal’s relentless offense.
With this win, the Canadiens take a 2-1 series advantage. The next game is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, in Montreal.
In the previous round, Buffalo eliminated the Boston Bruins, while Montreal defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to advance to the quarterfinals.
**NHL 2025/2026 Playoff Schedule**
**NHL 2025/2026 Playoff Bracket**
