Canadiens bring Sabres to their knees in dominant Game 3 comeback win

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/montreal-canadiens/nu2G7VWc/"]Montreal[/a], now up 2-1 in the series, earned their third comeback win of the playoffs. It's the first time they reached that amount in a single postseason since 2015. [/p][p]Rookie goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dobes-jakub/0W5FnU82/"]Jakub Dobes[/a] stayed hot after a 26-save night. He now has 54 saves over the last two games and has only allowed more than two goals once in the Habs' last six games these playoffs.[/p][p]Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th, when the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/buffalo-sabres/UobjtMIP/"]Sabres[/a] will try to tie the series up 2-2. [/p][p]The Habs are 11-6 all-time when they lead a playoff series 2-1 after starting on the road, while the Sabres are 0-3 all-time when starting as the home team trailing 2-1. [/p][h2]Recap & Highlights[/h2][p]Even though the final score may not show it, the Sabres were the ones who got on the board first, and it didn't even take a full minute. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thompson-tage/lvRtlzSi/"]Tage Thompson[/a] scored his third goal of the playoffs to put Buffalo up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]1-0[/a] just 53 seconds after puck-drop. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dahlin-rasmus/rgM9Q0C7/"]Rasmus Dahlin[/a], who would go on to score the Sabres' second goal of the game, picked up his fourth assist. [/b][/p][p]It was the second-fastest starting goal of the playoffs, falling short of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/edmonton-oilers/Mg0qoxeI/"]Edmonton[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kapanen-kasperi/OYKzcwhP/"]Kasperi Kapanen[/a], who scored in 38 seconds during Game 4 of their first-round matchup against the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/anaheim-ducks/4CM4ojpD/"]Anaheim Ducks[/a].[/p][embed guid="73db3f58-95be-4d21-a4ad-b54abe9f553b" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqXBqO2OoWk" social-type="youtube" /][p]From there on, the Canadiens would score four straight goals, two on the power play. [/p][p][b]It started with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/newhook-alex/AJWeyyJ2/"]Alex Newhook[/a]'s fourth goal of the playoffs with just under five minutes left in the first period to make it a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]1-1[/a] game. [/b][/p][p]Neither team converted on the 4-on-4 opportunity in the first period, nor any of their power plays.[/p][p]But it was in the second period when things got out of hand for the Sabres, and the Habs completely took over. [/p][embed guid="5e68ea83-004a-4436-b481-a5a87ac22af5" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAYdr_gSAqA" social-type="youtube" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caufield-cole/OMWDW69Q/"]Cole Caufield[/a] took advantage of the first power play of the period and scored his second goal of the playoffs to put the Habs up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]2-1[/a][/b]. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hutson-lane/n5Cwy6Xg/"]Lane Hutson[/a] (6) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/demidov-ivan/pdts9jU5/"]Ivan Demidov[/a] (3) picked up the assist. [/p][p]Hutson joined [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/subban-p-k/4rZGyA92/"]P.K. Subban[/a] (2014) as the only two Canadiens defensemen of the past 30 years to record at least eight points in their first 10 playoff games.[/p][embed guid="368cf469-77c2-4100-affe-31fa87bb44b0" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgspU2eizxw" social-type="youtube" /][p]It was a spark that turned into a fire as the Habs completely took the game into their hands for the rest of the second period. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bolduc-zachary/Y5g6sTSL/"]Zachary Bolduc[/a] also scored his second goal of the playoffs to put the Habs up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]3-1[/a], with assists from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/veleno-joe/0xXse03q/"]Joe Veleno[/a] (1) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/carrier-alexandre/tzeDxZab/"]Alexandre Carrier[/a] (2). [/b][/p][p]Then, the Sabres would gift the Habs another golden opportunity, and they made sure to capitalize on it...[/p][embed guid="e4c5ed95-16a1-4d06-8982-72426a6bf6f3" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2053636894035001632?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Buffalo's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/malenstyn-beck/zeLbcsIt/"]Beck Malenstyn[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/greenway-jordan/EeTUHE6b/"]Jordan Greenway[/a] both caught two-minute minors, along with Montreal's Bolduc, to give the Habs another power play. [/p][p][b]After 45 seconds into the power play, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/slafkovsky-juraj/ATgrbSxq/"]Juraj Slafkovsky[/a] scored his fourth of the playoffs to give the Habs a commanding [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]4-1[/a] lead, with assists from Hutson (7) and Caufield (4).[/b][/p][p]Slafkosvky stamped his name into Canadiens history as he joined [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moore-trevor/rgbn6659/"]Dickie Moore[/a] (1958) as the only two players to record each of their first four goals in a singular postseason on the power play.[/p][p]With his second assist of the game, Hutson tied [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schneider-mathieu/691oGKOL/"]Mathieu Schneider[/a] for the most multi-point playoff games in franchise history before turning 23. [/p][embed guid="eaaab58a-31db-4402-9b0c-604ace12d004" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2053638690354720934?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]After not letting up more than two goals in his first five starts these playoffs, which includes Game 1 against Montreal, Buffalo goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lyon-alex/f5NTIM3H/"]Alex Lyon[/a] has now let up at least four in back-to-back games. [/p][p]Buffalo would find the net again to cut the lead in half just two minutes later on a power play of their own. [/p][p][b]Dahlin scored his second of the playoffs, with Thompson (6) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doan-josh/pG6qdpCp/"]Josh Doan[/a] (5) recording the assists, to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]4-2[/a]. [/b][/p][p]It was their first goal on the last 30 power play opportunities on the road. But Buffalo needed a lot more as the Habs outshot them a whopping 29-18 heading into the third period. [/p][embed guid="4e8a3d2d-0e1f-466d-ae5e-68d89b1f09ac" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2053640527862534532?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]After almost nine minutes of play into the third, Montreal kept pouring it on in front of their home crowd. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dach-kirby/EPvOCbFp/"]Kirby Dach[/a], who picked up the penalty that led to Dahlin's goal in the second, scored his fourth of the playoffs to give the Habs a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/?mid=Snqtfk6j"]5-2[/a] lead.[/b][/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/texier-alexandre/zwYLoXr4/"]Alexandre Texier[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/danault-phillip/IZfyUR9I/"]Phillip Danault[/a] both picked up their third assist. [/p][embed guid="1b2c1dec-a2fa-42b2-a926-b13f61b45928" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2053651598136447229?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Newhook continued to remain hot after scoring only 13 goals in the regular season.[/p][p][b]He brought his playoff total up to five with his second of the game on a breakaway empty-netter that would've been a penalty shot had Buffalo not pulled Lyon from the net.[/b][/p][p]In the waning minutes, both teams were assessed game misconducts after a massive scrum that involved everyone on the ice except the goalies. [/p][p]The Habs cruised their way to a 6-2 win in the end, dominating across the entire stat board in shots (36-28), face-off percentage (62.3%-37.7%), power play (2/6-1/4) percentage, and hits (24-19)[/p]