The Sabres appeared to have taken a two-goal lead at 8:02 when a video overview decided that the puck had crossed the purpose line when Dobes caught Jack Quinn’s shot. However Montreal efficiently challenged that Buffalo rookie ahead Konsta Helenius, who was making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, interfered with Dobes on the play.
Newhook then tied it 1-1 at 10:08 along with his sixth purpose of the playoffs. He drove to the slot to take Jake Evans’ backhand cross from behind the purpose line and snap a shot previous Luukkonen.
Caufield put Montreal up 2-1 with a power-play purpose at 19:47. He took a cross from Juraj Slafkovsky to the left of the online and skated in alongside the purpose line earlier than slipping a shot underneath Luukkonen’s left pad.
“We broke them down a bunch, had our seems,” Caufield stated. “Their goalie made some large saves, stored them in it.”
Thompson tied it 2-2 with a power-play purpose at 7:00 of the second interval. His dump-in took an odd bounce off a stanchion alongside the boards on the left aspect and went in off Dobes’ proper pad.
“Typically you wish to simply maintain it easy, rim it, and attempt to get on the forecheck,” Thompson stated. “I rimmed it and clearly noticed it hit the glass and noticed, type of simply scanned round searching for it after which just a few guys put their palms up. So it’s a pleasant feeling while you see that.”
Mentioned Suzuki, “We battled our means again to get the lead within the first, after which I believed the second interval we managed it fairly effectively. We simply couldn’t discover that subsequent purpose.”
NOTES: Benson is the thirteenth participant in NHL historical past, and first Sabres participant, to attain a game-winning purpose within the playoffs on his birthday. … Helenius performed 12:53 and had three photographs on purpose. … Defenseman Luke Schenn performed 7:04 and had two blocked photographs in his Buffalo playoff debut. … Thompson, who has 11 factors (4 objectives, seven assists) in 10 video games within the playoffs, is the sixth Sabres participant to file not less than 10 factors in his first 10 playoff video games. The others: Gilbert Perreault (six video games), Tim Connolly (seven video games), Pierre Turgeon (seven video games), Rene Robert (seven video games) and Rick Martin (10 video games). … Caufield scored his thirty first go-ahead purpose of the common season and playoffs mixed, transferring previous Joe Sakic (30 in 1995-96 and 2000-01) for the fourth-most in NHL historical past. Brett Hull scored 42 go-ahead objectives throughout the 1990-91 common season and playoffs; Wayne Gretzky (1984-85) and Leon Draisaitl (2024-25) every scored 32.