Tage Thompson scored early, but the Buffalo Sabres surrendered four consecutive goals to the Montreal Canadiens and lost 6-2 in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series at Bell Centre on Sunday.
The Canadiens lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday in Montreal.
Thompson’s goal put the Sabres ahead 53 seconds into the contest, briefly quieting the raucous Bell Centre crowd. The Canadiens responded from there, however, stringing together several quality scoring chances before Alex Newhook finally tied the score off a rebound late in the first period.
Montreal added three goals in the second period to extend its lead to 4-1, including power-play goals from Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield. Lane Hutson had two assists in the period.
Rasmus Dahlin scored a power-play goal late in the second to cut into the deficit, but Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes stood firm on several chances in the third to stave off the Sabres’ comeback bid. Kirby Dach cleaned up a loose puck off the end boards for Montreal’s fifth goal with 11:14 remaining and Newhook added an empty-net goal late.
Alex Lyon made 31 saves, including several point-blank stops in the first 10 minutes before Newhook put the Canadiens on the board.
The Sabres trail a series for the first time in these playoffs. They’d gone 3-0 on the road in Round 1 against the Boston Bruins.
