Sabres vs. Canadiens - Game 5 | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres return home to host Game 5 of their second-round playoff series with the Montreal Canadiens at KeyBank Center on Thursday at 7 p.m.

The Sabres took care of business with a 3-2 road win in Game 4, evening the series at two wins apiece and setting the stage for a best-of-three finale.

The Game 4 win can be safely slotted in the “gutsy” category – the Sabres killed six penalties, overcame a lengthy review that took a goal off the board and swung momentum, and blocked a playoff-high 27 shots to edge out the victory.

The margins could remain just as thin as both teams, having felt out the other’s tendencies, buckle down to try and earn a trip to the Eastern Conference Final.

“It’s going to be a tight couple games here,” Josh Doan said. “I think we’ve seen a lot of offense through the first four games here, but I’m sure both teams are going to want to slow that down.”

One thing back on the Sabres’ side after splitting their two games in the raucous Bell Centre: home-ice advantage. Along with Thursday’s Game 5, a potential Game 7 would be played here at KeyBank Center next Monday.

“You realize how important home-ice advantage can be,” Doan said of the Montreal experience. “And we can’t be throwing games away at home.”

Here’s what you need to know ahead of puck drop.

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How to watch

TV (national): TNT, truTV

Streaming (national): HBO Max

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App (Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray on the call)

Pregame and Postgame Shows featuring Brian Duff and Martin Biron will air on MSG and the Sabres App along with the team's X, Facebook and YouTube channels. The pregame show begins at 6:30 p.m.

Lineup notes

The Sabres did not practice on Wednesday, so today’s morning skate should shed light on whether they plan to stick with the lineup that earned them a win in Game 4.

The team made three changes for that game: rookie Konsta Helenius in at forward (for Sam Carrick), veteran Luke Schenn in on defense (for Logan Stanley), and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal for the first time since Game 2 of the first round.

Luukkonen made 29 saves and was the backbone of the Sabres’ strong night on the penalty kill. The Sabres could ride the momentum of that performance by sticking with Luukkonen, or revert to the goalie rotation that worked for them for a long stretch of the regular season.

Helenius skated 12:53 and had three grade-A scoring chances (one of which led to a goal that was overturned). He earned high praise from coach Lindy Ruff for his defensive play, too.

Schenn skated 7:04, rotating his 5-on-5 minutes with the Sabres’ four left-shot defensemen. He skated 2:40 shorthanded and blocked two shots.

Series statistics

Numbers to know

• Josh Doan leads the Sabres with six points in the series (1+5) and enters Thursday on a five-game assist streak. The last Sabres player to have an assist in six straight playoff games was Alexei Zhitnik in 1999.
• Doan’s plus-5 rating is tied as the best mark in franchise history for a player in his first 10 career playoff games. The others: Matthew Barnaby (1993 to 1997), Paul Gaustad and Derek Roy (2006), and Peyton Krebs (this season).
• Mattias Samuelsson leads playoff defensemen with 42 hits. He’s tied for third in the playoffs in puck battles won, according to Stathletes.

Scouting the Habs

The Canadiens’ resilience has been a strength so far in these playoffs. They’ve yet to lose consecutive games, having alternated wins and losses throughout their seven-game series with the Lightning.

While the Sabres’ penalty kill was up to the task in Game 4, improved discipline will be an area of focus entering Thursday. The Canadiens ranked third in penalties drawn during the regular season and have continued that trend in this series with 20 power plays across the four games.

Several of the Sabres’ penalties have in the last two games have occurred away from the puck, be it interference or high-sticking calls.

“If they have a chance to make the play look worse than it is, they're going to,” Ruff said. “It's playoff hockey. Every team in this league does it.”