The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens will battle for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final beginning with Game 1 of their Round 2 series on Wednesday night at the KeyBank Center.
Buffalo, which held off the late-charging Habs and Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Atlantic Division title in the regular season, enter the clash as a slight favorite. The Blue and Gold have a 59% chance to advance to the penultimate round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs, per HockeyStats.com.
The Sabres and Canadiens split the regular-season series — each team won two games and both sides scored 13 goals across the four contests — which is one of the countless signs that suggest this could be an extended postseason matchup that may go the seven-game distance.
Getting off to a strong start at home could prove critical for Buffalo, which lost two of the three games at the KeyBank Center in its first-round triumph over the Boston Bruins.
Sam Carrick is nearing his return to the Sabres lineup
Carrick, who's been sidelined since a March 31 fight against the New York Islanders' Anders Lee, recently returned to practice and should rejoin Buffalo's forward group soon.
"We really haven't put a date on it," Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after Wednesday's morning skate. "Tonight could be a possibility."
It feels unlikely Carrick plays in Game 1, though. He only has a few skates under his belt after more than a month on the shelf and he wasn't part of a projected game-day line at Tuesday's practice. A return in Game 2 or Game 3 seems more fitting.
The 34-year-old center provided a significant spark to the Sabres' fourth line after being acquired from the New York Rangers ahead of the NHL trade deadline in March. He scored five goals in 13 games, an impressive scoring rate that's probably unsustainable, and won 57.3% of his faceoffs.
It's the latter part that's key for the Sabres, who were the league's worst faceoff team during the regular season and won just 43.8% of their draws in Round 1 against Boston. Having Carrick for high-leverage trips to the dot, especially on the penalty kill and in late-game situations, will yield a boost.
He'll likely replace Tyson Kozak in the lineup once available.
Zach Benson continues to emerge as a Buffalo fan favorite
How popular is Benson among the Western New York faithful? Well, the 20-year-old, 5-foot-10 whirling dervish received his own hype video against the second-round series against the Habs.
Here's a look from the folks at The Charging Buffalo:
Round 2 Benny loading... 😈 pic.twitter.com/HqFpTj0N6S
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) May 6, 2026
Benson was a force against the Bruins. He finished the opening round with two goals, one assists, 28 penalty minutes, seven hits and a plus-three rating. Perhaps more importantly, he was constantly getting under Boston's skin and baited the B's into some untimely penalties.
The 2023 first-round pick is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer, and Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen must do everything in his power to keep the winger on the roster for the long haul. He's exactly the type of player who thrives in playoff environments.
Alex Lyon drawing early Conn Smythe Trophy buzz
Ruff delivered some much-needed stability to the Sabres lineup in Game 3 vs. the Bruins when Lyon replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net. UPL looked shaky across the first two contests, and was pulled in favor of Lyon early in the third period of Game 2.
The journeyman goaltender proceeded to stop 106 of the 111 shots Boston sent his way, compiling a 1.14 goals against average and .955 save percentage.
It's earned him some attention in the early discussion about the Most Valuable Player of the postseason, with Sara Civian of Bleacher Report ranking him No. 2 behind only Carolina Hurricanes goalie Freddie Andersen at this stage of the playoffs.
"His stability in net — especially jumping in on the road at a pivotal turning point in Round 1 — almost made us forget how bad the Sabres' power play was," Civian wrote. "There's a chance the Sabres return to a tandem-like approach as they did in the regular season, but if Lyon runs away with the starting role he'll remain in the Conn Smythe conversation."
A more wide-open series is expected between the Sabres and Habs, so the pressure on Lyon's shoulders is only going to increase in the second round and beyond, should Buffalo advance.
He previously won a Calder Cup championship with the AHL's Chicago Wolves in 2022.
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