Josh Doan Sparks 2-1 Sabres Lead in Pointage Canadien Ce Soir

Josh Doan put Buffalo ahead 2-1 in pointage canadien ce soir, finishing a two-on-one at 4:31 of the first period in Buffalo. The Sabres carried that lead to the intermission after Ryan McLeod added a power-play goal and Nick Suzuki answered late for Montreal.

Doan Starts Buffalo

Doan’s goal came after Zach Benson fed him on the rush, and Buffalo quickly turned the opening period into a lead it could protect. The Sabres struck first after Lane Hutson fell on the attack, a mistake that opened the door for the early advantage.

McLeod extended it on the power play from the left side of the net, with Benson and Doan getting the assists. That gave Buffalo two goals before Montreal found its reply.

Suzuki Gets Montreal On Board

Suzuki cut the margin to 2-1 late in the period by pushing the puck into the net from the right side of the goaltender on a power play. Montreal also had two shots hit the post in the opening frame, one from Hutson and another from Jake Evans.

The period fit the matchup on the schedule. The Canadiens and Sabres were meeting in the playoffs for the eighth time in history, and they had not played a postseason series since 1997-1998. Their four regular-season meetings were split two wins each, and all four were decided by two goals with an empty-net goal included.

Sabres And Canadiens Pace

Buffalo and Montreal came in as two of the NHL’s 10 most offensive teams. The Sabres averaged 3.45 goals per game, fifth in the league, while the Canadiens averaged 3.40, seventh.

That scoring profile showed up right away in a very physical first period, where chances came fast and both clubs found the net on special teams. The next stretch will test whether Buffalo can keep turning those openings into a lead while Montreal tries to erase the gap before the game slips further away.