Edgehalla

Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo SabresMay 18, 2026

Final / OTPlayoffs· KeyBank Center
away
MTL
3
@
home
BUF
2
Goals1231OTTShots1231OTT
MTL20013MTL1174325
BUF01102BUF91410639
MTL 60BUF 91
MTL 2.54BUF 4.44
PP goals
MTL 1BUF 0
Hits
MTL 28BUF 21
Blocks
MTL 22BUF 11
PIM
MTL 2BUF 2
MTL 46%BUF 54%

Fantasy takeaways

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

Montreal Canadiens edge Buffalo Sabres 3–2 (OT)

Montreal Canadiens beat Buffalo Sabres 3–2 in overtime at BUF. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) led the scoring with 1G 0A. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) played 33:11, +9:59 up on his 23:12 season average over 12 games.

  1. Usage
    Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) played 33:11, +9:59 up on his 23:12 season average over 12 games.Dahlin
  2. Usage
    Owen Power (BUF) played 28:47, +7:55 up on his 20:52 season average over 12 games.Power
  3. Usage
    Nick Suzuki (MTL) played 29:30, +7:38 up on his 21:52 season average over 18 games.Suzuki
  4. Goalie
    Jakub Dobes (MTL) faced 39 shots and stopped 37 (.949), +9 against a season average of 29.7; the win.Dobes
  5. Usage
    Mattias Samuelsson (BUF) played 28:35, +6:44 up on his 21:51 season average over 12 games.Samuelsson
  6. Luck
    BUF scored 2 goals on 4.44 expected goals (91 attempts), well short of its chances.
  7. Usage
    Lane Hutson (MTL) played 31:17, +6:09 up on his 25:08 season average over 18 games.Hutson
  8. Usage
    Alexandre Carrier (MTL) played 27:03, +5:19 up on his 21:44 season average over 18 games.Carrier

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: 151 attempts, 64 on goal, 5 goals, 6.98 expected goals; best chance Tage Thompson at 0.34 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 151 of 151 attempts · BUF 91 · MTL 60

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 4.44 to 2.54 (BUF led the chances), shot attempts 91 to 60, 5 goals.

0.01.02.03.04.05.01st2nd3rdOTBUFMTLDBGDNnet xGcumulative expected goals · 71:22
  • BUF
  • MTL
  • Goal
  • Power play (shaded)
Pressure Index
BUFMTLcontrol2nd3rdOTDanault · 1st 4:30Bolduc · 1st 14:29Greenway · 2nd 13:19Dahlin · 3rd 6:27Newhook · OT 11:22
  • 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 16% of the game, BUF 44%.

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 71:22; most ice Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (71:22) for BUF and Jakub Dobes (71:22) for MTL, 5 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: 217 matchups; most common Dahlin vs Matheson, 17:46 at 63% xGF.

BUF ↓ · MTL →SuzukiSlafkovskýCaufieldEvansDemidovNewhookTexierDanaultAndersonBolducDachKapanenMathesonCarrierHutsonDobsonL1 BensonL1 ThompsonL1 NorrisL2 TuchL2 McLeodL2 DoanL3 QuinnL3 ZuckerL3 HeleniusL4 KrebsL4 GreenwayL4 MalenstynD1 DahlinD1 SamuelssonD2 PowerD2 Byram
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
66108
2.705.16
2.624.87
1924
1210
2630
−0.030+0.030
16%44%

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. 4:30
    MTLPhillip Danault (Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Texier)deflected0.17 xG
    MTL: Danault, Anderson, Texier, Guhle, XhekajBUF: Zucker, Byram, Quinn, Metsa, Helenius
    MTL 1 – 0 BUF
  2. 14:29
    MTLZachary BolducPP (Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson)snap0.16 xG
    MTL: Matheson, Suzuki, Dach, Bolduc, HutsonBUF: Tuch, Greenway, Timmins, Samuelsson
    MTL 2 – 0 BUF

2nd period

  1. 13:19
    BUFJordan Greenway (Mattias Samuelsson, Beck Malenstyn)deflected0.20 xG
    MTL: Danault, Anderson, Texier, Dobson, HutsonBUF: Greenway, Malenstyn, Samuelsson, Krebs, Metsa
    MTL 2 – 1 BUF

3rd period

  1. 6:27
    BUFRasmus Dahlin (Owen Power, Ryan McLeod)snap0.08 xG
    MTL: Danault, Carrier, Dach, Guhle, BolducBUF: Tuch, McLeod, Dahlin, Doan, Power
    MTL 2 – 2 BUF

OT period

  1. 11:22
    MTLAlex Newhook (Alexandre Carrier)wrist0.01 xG
    MTL: Matheson, Evans, Carrier, Newhook, DemidovBUF: Thompson, Norris, Dahlin, Byram, Benson
    MTL 3 – 2 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 CL1011010.1922029:30——3647
Juraj Slafkovský LL1000030.1910023:07——4356
Cole Caufield RL1000050.5931021:16——4761
Jake Evans CL2000+100.0010022:33——3818
Ivan Demidov RL2000+100.1330022:19——4128
Alex Newhook CL2101+120.2830019:52——5558
Alexandre Texier LL3011000.1110017:51——3323
Phillip Danault CL3101-120.1701217:16——3126
Josh Anderson RL3000030.3421017:10——3524
Zachary Bolduc RL4101-120.363109:11——2625
Kirby Dach CL4000-110.084108:58——2932
Oliver Kapanen CL4000010.000004:45——4250
Mike Matheson DD1000+110.0102031:28——3636
Alexandre Carrier DD1011010.0015027:03——3940
Lane Hutson DD2011-110.0203031:17——3524
Noah Dobson DD2000-110.0301026:30——3931
Kaiden Guhle D—011010.0134022:52——3935
Arber Xhekaj D—000+100.021001:52——75100
MTL goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Jakub Dobes(start)W39372.9494.4471:22

Buffalo Sabres

BUF skaters
SkaterLineGAP+/-HitsBlkPIMPPSH
Zach Benson LL1000-120.2300224:07——5758
Tage Thompson CL1000-150.6400021:56——5758
Josh Norris CL1000-110.5110021:37——6060
Alex Tuch RL2000+150.5622021:25——7280
Ryan McLeod CL2011+120.1610020:39——7279
Josh Doan RL2000+130.4611018:38——7682
Jack Quinn RL3000-120.4400019:12——5762
Jason Zucker LL3000-100.2731016:39——5760
Konsta Helenius CL3000-130.2631016:37——5556
Peyton Krebs CL4000+110.0122011:13——5768
Jordan Greenway LL4101+120.2530011:11——5768
Beck Malenstyn LL4011+110.0840010:42——6171
Rasmus Dahlin DD1101050.3111033:11——6768
Mattias Samuelsson DD1011+120.0102028:35——6670
Owen Power DD2011+110.0300028:47——6774
Bowen Byram DD2000-210.1101028:18——5956
Conor Timmins D—000030.1200018:43——5567
Zach Metsa D—000000.000003:25——2244
BUF goalies
GoalieDecSASVGATOI
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen(start)L25223.8802.5471:22

Goal anatomy

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

Phillip Danault (MTL) 1st 4:30 · assists Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Texier · Deflection · dumped in · 6.7 mph shot · 7.5 s from entry to goal.

Zachary Bolduc · 1st 14:29 · MTL PP

Play
turnover-forecheck
Passes
1 (royal road)
Shot
68.3 mph
Distance
20 ft
Type
one-timer

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

Alex Newhook · OT 11:22 · MTL

Play
deflection
Entry
carry
Odd man
3-on-2
Passes
2
Shot
70.7 mph
Distance
18 ft
Entry to goal
1.9 s
Type
deflection

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