Edgehalla

Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo SabresMay 8, 2026

FinalPlayoffs· KeyBank Center
away
MTL
5
@
home
BUF
1
Goals123TShots123T
MTL2125MTL138728
BUF0101BUF8111029
MTL 57BUF 64
MTL 4.25BUF 2.35
PP goals
MTL 0BUF 0
Hits
MTL 18BUF 44
Blocks
MTL 18BUF 11
PIM
MTL 20BUF 12
MTL 57%BUF 43%

Fantasy takeaways

Generated from the play-by-play, shifts and season context. No opinions, just what changed.

Montreal Canadiens rout Buffalo Sabres 5–1

Montreal Canadiens beat Buffalo Sabres 5–1 at BUF. Alex Newhook (MTL) led the scoring with 2G 0A. Noah Dobson (MTL) played 16:20, −6:11 down on his 22:31 season average over 12 games.

  1. Points
    Alex Newhook had two goals (2 points) on 4 shots in 16:46.Newhook
  2. Usage
    Noah Dobson (MTL) played 16:20, −6:11 down on his 22:31 season average over 12 games.Dobson
  3. Usage
    Lane Hutson (MTL) played 20:54, −4:48 down on his 25:42 season average over 18 games.Hutson
  4. Usage
    Ivan Demidov (MTL) played 13:18, −3:57 down on his 17:15 season average over 18 games.Demidov
  5. Usage
    Alexandre Texier (MTL) played 9:21, −3:43 down on his 13:04 season average over 18 games.Texier
  6. Usage
    Beck Malenstyn (BUF) played 7:11, −3:36 down on his 10:47 season average over 12 games.Malenstyn
  7. Usage
    Jason Zucker (BUF) played 11:08, −3:42 down on his 14:50 season average over 12 games.Zucker
  8. PP1
    BUF's PP1 (Zucker, Tuch, Thompson, Norris and Dahlin) went scoreless in 4:20 of 5v4 time with 13 attempts.ZuckerTuchThompsonNorrisDahlin

Shot map

Both teams on one rink, filtered by strength and period.

Shot map

Every attempt, sized by expected goals. Goals are rings, shots on goal dots, misses hollow, blocks crosses.

Shot map, MTL at BUF: 121 attempts, 57 on goal, 6 goals, 6.60 expected goals; best chance Nick Suzuki at 0.58 xG.

Strength
Period
Team
← MTL attacks left (bottom on phones)BUF attacks right (top on phones) →
  • BUF
  • MTL
  • Goal
  • Shot on goal
  • Missed
  • Blocked

Showing 121 of 121 attempts · BUF 64 · MTL 57

Game flow

Cumulative expected goals and shot attempts, with power plays shaded and goals marked.

Cumulative shot attempts

Game flow, MTL at BUF: expected goals 2.35 to 4.25 (MTL led the chances), shot attempts 64 to 57, 6 goals.

0.01.02.03.04.05.01st2nd3rdBUFMTLNMNBCSnet xGcumulative expected goals · 60:00
  • BUF
  • MTL
  • Goal
  • Power play (shaded)
Pressure Index
BUFMTLcontrol2nd3rdNewhook · 1st 1:36Matheson · 1st 4:27Newhook · 2nd 4:47Benson · 2nd 19:22Carrier · 3rd 3:54Suzuki · 3rd 15:59
  • BUF pressure
  • MTL pressure
  • Goal
  • Control (|PI| > 0.25)

: descriptive only, the team with more pressure scored the next goal about half the time. In control: MTL 39% of the game, BUF 24%.

Shift chart

Every shift, grouped by line and pair; bars are coloured by strength state. Click a player to highlight.

Shifts

Shift chart, MTL at BUF: 38 players over 60:00; most ice Alex Lyon (58:13) for BUF and Jakub Dobes (60:00) for MTL, 6 goals.

BUF
MTL
goals / penalties
  • Even strength
  • Power play
  • Penalty kill
  • Goal
  • Penalty

Head-to-head matchups

BUF skaters (rows) against MTL skaters (columns) at 5v5. Square size is time together; colour is xGF% from the BUF side.

Matchup matrix

Head-to-head matrix, BUF rows versus MTL columns: 251 matchups; most common Dahlin vs Suzuki, 7:28 at 29% xGF.

BUF ↓ · MTL →SuzukiSlafkovskýCaufieldBolducDachVelenoDanaultAndersonTexierNewhookEvansDemidovMathesonCarrierHutsonDobsonGuhleXhekajL1 BensonL1 NorrisL1 DoanL2 TuchL2 ThompsonL2 KrebsL3 GreenwayL3 KozakL3 MalenstynL4 McLeodL4 QuinnL4 ZuckerD1 ByramD1 PowerD2 DahlinD2 SamuelssonD3 TimminsD3 Stanley
BUF xGF% 4060square size = TOI together · blank = under 1:00

Sequence card

5-on-5 possession-chain numbers from the sequence engine (Draw Equity and control cover all situations).

Sequence card
StatMTLBUF
4253
3.071.44
2.471.39
1310
24
2014
+0.053−0.054
39%24%

Definitions: sequence xG, transition attempts, Draw Equity, control and the Pressure Index.

Lines used

Detected from who actually shared the ice, with time together. Percentages are the unit's share of shot attempts.

Montreal Canadiens

Current MTL line combinations →

Buffalo Sabres

Current BUF line combinations →

Scoring summary

Every goal with the skaters on the ice for it.

1st period

  1. 1:36
    MTLAlex Newhook (Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson)tip-in0.07 xG
    MTL: Evans, Newhook, Guhle, Hutson, DemidovBUF: Tuch, Thompson, Krebs, Byram, Power
    MTL 1 – 0 BUF
  2. 4:27
    MTLMike Matheson (Phillip Danault)snap0.04 xG
    MTL: Danault, Matheson, Anderson, Carrier, TexierBUF: Zucker, Stanley, Timmins, McLeod, Quinn
    MTL 2 – 0 BUF

2nd period

  1. 4:47
    MTLAlex Newhook (Jake Evans, Noah Dobson)snap0.25 xG
    MTL: Evans, Carrier, Newhook, Xhekaj, HutsonBUF: Zucker, Tuch, Thompson, Norris, Dahlin
    MTL 3 – 0 BUF
  2. 19:22
    BUFZach Benson (Conor Timmins, Josh Doan)tip-in0.12 xG
    MTL: Suzuki, Dobson, Caufield, Guhle, HutsonBUF: Timmins, Norris, Dahlin, Doan, Benson
    MTL 3 – 1 BUF

3rd period

  1. 3:54
    MTLAlexandre Carriersnap0.15 xG
    MTL: Danault, Matheson, Carrier, Texier, CaufieldBUF: Tuch, Thompson, McLeod, Byram, Power
    MTL 4 – 1 BUF
  2. 15:59
    MTLNick SuzukiEN (Josh Anderson)snap0.58 xG
    MTL: Danault, Matheson, Anderson, Carrier, SuzukiBUF: Thompson, Norris, Dahlin, Byram, Doan, Benson
    MTL 5 – 1 BUF

Box score

Skaters grouped by the line they played on; CF% is the 5v5 share of shot attempts while on the ice.

Montreal Canadiens

MTL skaters
SkaterLineGAP+/-HitsBlkPIMPPSH
Nick Suzuki CL1101040.9310020:03——3660
Juraj Slafkovský LL1000010.2212017:56——4875
Cole Caufield RL1000020.5200017:06——4468
Zachary Bolduc RL2000010.0510012:02——3362
Kirby Dach CL2000000.5300011:18——4064
Joseph Veleno CL2000010.1110010:32——4467
Phillip Danault CL3011+300.0922014:33——4665
Josh Anderson RL3011+200.24101214:29——3645
Alexandre Texier LL3000+200.001009:21——3756
Alex Newhook CL4202+240.5801016:46——5696
Jake Evans CL4011+220.2300016:32——5682
Ivan Demidov RL4000+100.1711013:18——6498
Mike Matheson DD1101+330.1013026:44——4473
Alexandre Carrier DD1101+410.1521419:38——4258
Lane Hutson DD2011+130.0901020:54——4776
Noah Dobson DD2011-150.1815016:20——4477
Kaiden Guhle DD3011010.0622220:56——3859
Arber Xhekaj DD3000+100.013029:32——6050
MTL goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Jakub Dobes(start)W29281.9662.3560:00

Buffalo Sabres

BUF skaters
SkaterLineGAP+/-HitsBlkPIMPPSH
Zach Benson LL1101010.1340219:25——6838
Josh Norris CL1000-130.2740017:39——6438
Josh Doan RL1011040.2220216:28——6747
Alex Tuch RL2000-360.4121020:19——5029
Tage Thompson CL2000-410.2560018:38——5425
Peyton Krebs CL2000-110.0341012:25——5639
Jordan Greenway LL3000010.0120012:55——3941
Tyson Kozak CL3000010.2200010:02——4628
Beck Malenstyn LL3000000.000007:11——4317
Ryan McLeod CL4000-220.1400017:17——5938
Jack Quinn RL4000-100.1811014:30——5029
Jason Zucker LL4000-220.1610011:08——6019
Bowen Byram DD1000-310.0020221:27——6344
Owen Power DD1000-200.0521020:18——7159
Rasmus Dahlin DD2000-150.2610222:17——4114
Mattias Samuelsson DD2000000.00103219:47——4416
Conor Timmins DD3011000.0014018:08——5325
Logan Stanley DD3000-110.0020210:27——5017
BUF goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Alex Lyon(start)L27234.8523.6658:13

Goal anatomy

Animated replays from NHL EDGE tracking, with the entry, passes and shot speed for each goal.

Alex Newhook (MTL) 1st 1:36 · assists Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson · Deflection · 32.3 mph shot.

Alex Newhook · 2nd 4:47 · MTL

Play
odd-man-rush
Entry
carry
Odd man
2-on-1
Passes
3 (royal road)
Shot
13.6 mph
Distance
4 ft
Entry to goal
2.2 s

Watch on NHL.com → · Tracking-derived via NHL EDGE