Buffalo Sabres at Montréal Canadiens
NHL game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montréal Canadiens on May 16, 2026. Final score: Buffalo Sabres 8, Montréal Canadiens 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | May 16, 2026 |
| Venue | Centre Bell |
| Series | R2 Game 6: BUF 3-3 MTL |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 8 |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 4 | 3 | 19:56 | 0.66 | 3.94 |
| 2nd | Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 3 | 6 | 18:14 | 0.89 | 2.86 |
| 3rd | Jack Quinn | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18:18 | 0.56 | 2.30 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Buffalo Sabres–Montréal Canadiens) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 00:32 | BUF | Rasmus Dahlin | Mattias Samuelsson, Zach Benson | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 01:40 | MTL | Arber Xhekaj | Jake Evans | 5v5 | 1–1 |
| 1st 08:12 | MTL | Ivan Demidov | Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield | 5v4 | 1–2 |
| 1st 10:14 | MTL | Jake Evans | Mike Matheson | 4v5 | 1–3 |
| 1st 13:56 | BUF | Jason Zucker | Josh Norris, Jack Quinn | 4v5 | 2–3 |
| 2nd 01:00 | BUF | Zach Benson | Tage Thompson, Bowen Byram | 5v5 | 3–3 |
| 2nd 10:54 | BUF | Jack Quinn | Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson | 4v5 | 4–3 |
| 2nd 12:59 | BUF | Konsta Helenius | Jason Zucker, Rasmus Dahlin | 5v5 | 5–3 |
| 3rd 09:58 | BUF | Jack Quinn | Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin | 4v5 | 6–3 |
| 3rd 14:12 | BUF | Tage Thompson | — | 6v5 | 7–3 |
| 3rd 17:49 | BUF | Zach Metsa | Ryan McLeod, Rasmus Dahlin | 4v5 | 8–3 |
Team Comparison
| Buffalo Sabres | Montréal Canadiens | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 8 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 36 | 22 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 5.63 | 1.83 |
| High-danger shots | 19 | 11 |
| Corsi % | 53.0% | 47.0% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 60.7% | 39.3% |
| Hits | 19 | 28 |
| Blocks | 18 | 9 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 10 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 4 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 19:56 | 0.66 | 3.94 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 18:14 | 0.89 | 2.86 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 18:18 | 0.56 | 2.30 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 21:56 | 0.31 | 2.30 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22:53 | 0.05 | 2.22 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 13:29 | 0.52 | 1.90 |
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:22 | 0.00 | 1.82 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:53 | 0.51 | 1.72 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19:10 | 0.75 | 1.61 |
| Zach Benson | L | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 20:04 | 0.85 | 1.58 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16:31 | 0.06 | 1.35 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:19 | 0.08 | 1.15 |
| Konsta Helenius | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 12:36 | 0.23 | 1.07 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 15:26 | 0.09 | 0.65 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:25 | 0.00 | 0.17 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:22 | 0.07 | 0.09 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8:15 | 0.00 | 0.03 |
| Conor Timmins | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:27 | 0.00 | -0.04 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Evans | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 16:13 | 0.09 | 1.10 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7:12 | 0.01 | 0.66 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 17:14 | 0.64 | 0.56 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 22:05 | 0.00 | 0.48 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:39 | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:29 | 0.00 | -0.03 |
| Joe Veleno | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:59 | 0.04 | -0.15 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:32 | 0.14 | -0.16 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:22 | 0.22 | -0.25 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16:01 | 0.20 | -0.27 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14:03 | 0.16 | -0.37 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12:06 | 0.01 | -0.58 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:04 | 0.00 | -0.59 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:20 | 0.02 | -0.71 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:32 | 0.00 | -0.78 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:46 | 0.23 | -0.82 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24:28 | 0.03 | -1.15 |
| Noah Dobson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 25:22 | 0.00 | -1.86 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 18 | 18 | 100.0% | 1.18 | W |
| Alex Lyon | Buffalo Sabres | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | -2.35 | |
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 27 | 33 | 81.8% | -0.88 | L |
| Jacob Fowler | Montréal Canadiens | 1 | 2 | 50.0% | -0.90 |
Analysis
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montréal Canadiens 8–3 on May 16, 2026, a decisive 5-goal win.
Montréal Canadiens generated 1.83 expected goals to Buffalo Sabres's 5.63 — the run of play matched the result, with Buffalo Sabres earning the better chances as well as the goals.
Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters with a Game Score of 3.94 on 1 goal, 4 assists, 3 shots on goal.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 18 of 18, worth 1.18 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Buffalo Sabres vs Montréal Canadiens game?
The Buffalo Sabres beat the Montréal Canadiens 8–3 on May 16, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Buffalo Sabres 8, Montréal Canadiens 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Rasmus Dahlin led all skaters at 3.94, on 1G, 4A and 3 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Montréal Canadiens generated 1.83 expected goals and Buffalo Sabres generated 5.63, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Buffalo Sabres put 36 shots on goal and Montréal Canadiens put 22. High-danger chances went 19 to 11.
How did the goaltenders play?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 18 of 18 (1.18 goals saved above expected); Jakub Dobes stopped 27 of 33 (-0.88 goals saved above expected).