Sabres Rout Canadiens 8-3 in Game 6, Force Game 7
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- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced starter Alex Lyon 10:14 into Game 6 after Lyon gave up three goals on four shots, and stopped all 18 shots he faced to spark the Sabres' 8-3 comeback win.
- Rasmus Dahlin recorded one goal and four assists, tying the Sabres' franchise playoff record of five points in a game previously shared by Derek Roy (2006) and John Tucker (1988).
- Tage Thompson, who had been scoreless in three of the series' first five games, answered his critics with a goal and three assists in the elimination game.
- Buffalo's power play delivered four goals in Game 6, bringing the team's series total to nine with the man advantage, and Zach Metsa sealed the win with a power-play goal in his playoff debut.
- Montreal's offense went dormant: Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Nick Suzuki (tied for the team lead at 12 points) were quiet, and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes was pulled in the third period after allowing six goals on 33 shots.
- Game 7 is set for Monday in Buffalo, with the winner advancing to the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been idle since sweeping Philadelphia on May 9.
- Coach Lindy Ruff said there's a "90% chance" the Sabres won't visit the rink before Monday's game, repeating the pregame routine Buffalo used before Game 6.
Why it matters: Buffalo erased a 3-1 deficit in Game 6 to flip the series into a winner-take-all Game 7, with the Sabres now facing a Montreal team that is 5-2 on the road this postseason — including a Game 7 road win over Tampa Bay — while Buffalo is just 2-4 at home and has already lost twice to the Canadiens in Buffalo. The goalie change and power-play surge (four goals in Game 6, nine in the series) make Game 7 a genuine coin flip rather than a Montreal coronation.