The Buffalo Sabres fell behind less than five minutes into the game and never recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series on Friday night at KeyBank Center. The series is now tied 1-1.
Montreal wasted little time silencing the crowd as Alex Newhook and Mike Matheson scored in the opening five minutes to give the Canadiens immediate control. Newhook added his second goal of the night in the second period as Buffalo struggled to generate sustained offensive pressure.
The Sabres finally broke through late in the second when Zach Benson scored his third goal of the postseason just before intermission, briefly cutting the deficit to 3-1 and giving Buffalo life heading into the third period.
Any momentum the Sabres gained quickly disappeared. Montreal answered early in the third period to restore its three-goal advantage and effectively put the game away before adding another insurance tally later in the frame.
Buffalo managed little offensively after its strong performance in Game 1 and finished with just one goal on home ice. Alex Lyon made his sixth consecutive postseason start in net for the Sabres and stopped 23-of-27 shots.
The series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Bell Centre.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].