Montréal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
NHL game between the Montréal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres on May 18, 2026. Final score: Montréal Canadiens 3, Buffalo Sabres 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | May 18, 2026 |
| Venue | KeyBank Center |
| Series | R2 Game 7: BUF 3-4 MTL |
| Montréal Canadiens score | 3 |
| Buffalo Sabres score | 2 |
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 | Owen Power | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28:47 | 0.02 | 1.87 |
| 2nd | Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22:52 | 0.01 | 1.40 |
| 3rd | Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 1 | 2 | 28:35 | 0.03 | 1.20 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Montréal Canadiens–Buffalo Sabres) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 04:30 | MTL | Phillip Danault | Kaiden Guhle, Alexandre Texier | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 14:29 | MTL | Zachary Bolduc | Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson | 4v5 | 2–0 |
| 2nd 13:19 | BUF | Jordan Greenway | Mattias Samuelsson, Beck Malenstyn | 5v5 | 2–1 |
| 3rd 06:27 | BUF | Rasmus Dahlin | Owen Power, Ryan McLeod | 5v5 | 2–2 |
| OT 11:22 | MTL | Alex Newhook | Alexandre Carrier | 5v5 | 3–2 |
Team Comparison
| Montréal Canadiens | Buffalo Sabres | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 3 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 25 | 39 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 2.85 | 3.98 |
| High-danger shots | 16 | 20 |
| Corsi % | 39.3% | 60.7% |
| Power play | 0/0 | 0/0 |
| Faceoff % | 46.4% | 53.6% |
| Hits | 28 | 21 |
| Blocks | 22 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 20 | 16 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 3 |
Montréal Canadiens Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiden Guhle | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 22:52 | 0.01 | 1.40 |
| Alex Newhook | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 19:52 | 0.36 | 1.04 |
| Zachary Bolduc | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9:11 | 0.35 | 1.03 |
| Phillip Danault | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 17:16 | 0.09 | 0.61 |
| Lane Hutson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 31:17 | 0.07 | 0.58 |
| Oliver Kapanen | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4:45 | 0.05 | 0.44 |
| Alexandre Texier | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17:51 | 0.13 | 0.42 |
| Kirby Dach | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:58 | 0.22 | 0.31 |
| Alexandre Carrier | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27:03 | 0.00 | 0.29 |
| Nick Suzuki | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29:30 | 0.16 | 0.11 |
| Arber Xhekaj | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1:52 | 0.01 | 0.04 |
| Josh Anderson | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17:10 | 0.48 | 0.03 |
| Ivan Demidov | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:19 | 0.13 | -0.02 |
| Cole Caufield | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 21:16 | 0.50 | -0.08 |
| Noah Dobson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26:30 | 0.02 | -0.14 |
| Juraj Slafkovský | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23:07 | 0.10 | -0.21 |
| Jake Evans | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22:33 | 0.00 | -0.60 |
| Mike Matheson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 31:28 | 0.17 | -1.31 |
Buffalo Sabres Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Power | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28:47 | 0.02 | 1.87 |
| Mattias Samuelsson | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 28:35 | 0.03 | 1.20 |
| Rasmus Dahlin | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 33:11 | 0.32 | 1.06 |
| Ryan McLeod | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20:39 | 0.13 | 0.84 |
| Josh Norris | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:37 | 0.45 | 0.71 |
| Jordan Greenway | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11:11 | 0.36 | 0.57 |
| Beck Malenstyn | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10:42 | 0.04 | 0.53 |
| Alex Tuch | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 21:25 | 0.33 | 0.41 |
| Tage Thompson | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 21:56 | 0.77 | 0.38 |
| Josh Doan | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:38 | 0.34 | 0.36 |
| Zach Benson | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 24:07 | 0.32 | 0.29 |
| Jason Zucker | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:39 | 0.02 | 0.22 |
| Konsta Helenius | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16:37 | 0.47 | 0.17 |
| Jack Quinn | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19:12 | 0.19 | 0.16 |
| Conor Timmins | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 18:43 | 0.04 | 0.15 |
| Bowen Byram | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 28:18 | 0.13 | 0.09 |
| Peyton Krebs | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11:13 | 0.02 | -0.00 |
| Zach Metsa | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3:25 | 0.00 | -0.28 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jakub Dobes | Montréal Canadiens | 37 | 39 | 94.9% | 1.61 | W |
| Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | Buffalo Sabres | 22 | 25 | 88.0% | 0.08 | L |
Analysis
The Montréal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3–2 on May 18, 2026, a one-goal game.
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.98 expected goals to Montréal Canadiens's 2.85 — Buffalo Sabres owned the better of the chances but Montréal Canadiens took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Owen Power led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.87 on 1 assist, 1 shots on goal.
Jakub Dobes stopped 37 of 39, worth 1.61 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Montréal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres game?
The Montréal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 3–2 on May 18, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Montréal Canadiens 3, Buffalo Sabres 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Owen Power led all skaters at 1.87, on 0G, 1A and 1 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Buffalo Sabres generated 3.98 expected goals and Montréal Canadiens generated 2.85, so Buffalo Sabres created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Montréal Canadiens put 25 shots on goal and Buffalo Sabres put 39. High-danger chances went 16 to 20.
How did the goaltenders play?
Jakub Dobes stopped 37 of 39 (1.61 goals saved above expected); Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 of 25 (0.08 goals saved above expected).