Canadiens look to finish off Sabres in front of ‘unreal’ Bell Centre crowd in Game 6

BUFFALO — Saturday night.

Bell Centre in Montreal.

“Hockey Night in Canada.”

The only remaining series in the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens. Game 6 of the best-of-7 series with Montreal leading 3-2.

The eyes of the entire hockey world will be on what’s already been an off-the-charts atmosphere in what many consider to be the cathedral of hockey.

One win away from having the Canadiens reach a conference final involving full buildings since 2015, their march to the Final in 2021 featuring limited crowds in Montreal because of concerns for the coronavirus.

Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier, noting it will be the first Saturday game in Montreal in these playoffs, came up with the perfect word to describe the what it will be like in Bell Centre. 

“Unreal,” he said Friday

It will be just that.

From coach Martin St. Louis making his customary pregame walk from his nearby residence to the arena, to the intriguing question of which Canadiens legend will carry the celebratory torch into the building for the second-to-none pregame ceremony, the anticipation for Game 6 (8 p.m. ET: CBC, TVAS, SN, ABC) has reached a fever pitch in the province in Quebec, a concept that Carrier, a Quebec City native, can fully understand.

But beyond the pomp and pageantry associated with what surely be an event, what’s really important to the Canadiens is finishing off the Sabres. 

Easier said than done.

Montreal has been here before. It was in a similar position in the Eastern Conference First Round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, up 3-2 in the series and hosting an elimination game. In what may have been the most riveting game of the entire postseason, the two teams went to overtime tied 0-0 before Lightning forward Gage Goncalves scored the winner, forcing a Game 7 in Tampa.

Montreal was able to win Game 7 on the road, but it was a lesson learned. 

“It takes a lot,” St. Louis said when asked what’s needed to eliminate an opponent. “I mean, Game 6 against Tampa, I thought we played one of our best games of the series and didn’t win.

“So, you know, it probably takes your best. And more.”

Montreal defeated Tampa Bay 2-1 in that seventh game to reach the second round against the Sabres. In this instance, they are looking to get the job done on home ice and avoid going back to Buffalo for a Game 7.

Asked what he expects in this Game 6, Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky took a few seconds to ponder the question.

“Ya, well, I think Cole (Caufield’s) probably going to score,” he said of his teammate before playfully breaking into laughter.

“No, seriously, we’ve got to come out hard and play real hard,” he said. “We have to play not only like the score is 0-0 but like the series is 0-0 and we’re gunning for that first victory.

“Play hard, do everything we can, and not let them come close to our net.”

The recipe for success is simple for St. Louis: tune out the white noise, however deafening it might be.

“I think we’re just focused on each and every day,” he said. “We’re not focused on the day before, we’re not focused on the day after. We’re not worried about what’s ahead. Let’s just take care of today. When you do that, you don’t get too anxious or too excited.

“I feel you need to stay in the present where your feet are and take care of that. When you do that, you stay on an even keel.”

Unlike the hockey-crazed city of Montreal, which will be anything but even-keeled should the Canadiens win and advance.