Montreal CanadiensLane Hutson played 24:28 against Buffalo on Sunday night at the Bell Centre, finishing minus-1 in an 8-3 loss that forced a Game 7 after Montreal led 3-1 in the first period. The special teams questions that have followed him all season showed up when they mattered most.
Buffalo scored four power-play goals on seven opportunities. Montreal's penalty kill, which had been reasonably effective through five games of this second-round series, broke down repeatedly as the Sabres took control through the neutral zone and steadily picked apart the Canadiens' defensive structure.
The series is now tied 3-3, with Game 7 scheduled for Monday in Buffalo. What looked like a potential series-clinching performance after Jake Evans scored shorthanded at 10:14 of the first period became the kind of elimination-game meltdown that defines how teams are remembered.
Buffalo's Power Play Solved Montreal's Reads
Rasmus Dahlin finished with five points (1 goal, 4 assists), quarterbacking a Buffalo power play that exploited specific vulnerabilities in Montreal's penalty kill structure. According to NHL.com's game coverage, the Sabres adjusted their approach mid-series, using more low-to-high puck movement to drag Montreal's PK box out of position before slipping passes into the half-wall.
The tactical shift centered on Dahlin walking the blue line laterally while Buffalo's bumper forward - often Jack Quinn - pulled Montreal's weak-side high forward inside, creating passing lanes Dahlin exploited repeatedly. Tage Thompson finished with a goal and three assists, capitalizing on catch-and-release shots closer to the middle of the ice rather than one-timers from the usual flank position.
Montreal's PK stayed aggressive on Dahlin even after it became clear he was the primary distributor. Beat writers covering the game noted that Montreal should have faltered inside the dots, forcing the puck to the flanks and accepting outside shots rather than continuing to chase Dahlin and open seams across the slot.
"We were pretty shocked how we stopped playing after being up 3-1," Nick Suzuki told reporters after the game, according to NHL.com.
The Turning Point Buffalo Exploited
Buffalo's response to Montreal's 3-1 lead started with Lindy Ruff's decision to pull Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at 10:14 of the first period, immediately after Evans' shorthanded goal. Alex Lyon entered and stopped everything Montreal threw at him while Buffalo steadily worked back into the game.
The goalie change wasn't just about stopping pucks. Beat writers emphasized that Lyon's rebound control and willingness to hold pucks allowed Buffalo to slow the game down and regain structure. His puck-handling behind the net helped break Montreal's forecheck, making quick up-plays to the weak side rather than rimming into pressure.
Buffalo's defensive gaps tightened noticeably after Lyon entered. The Sabres played more aggressively at their blue line, trusting their goaltender to handle behind-them plays instead of backing in and giving Montreal easy zone entries.
The goal that made it 3-2 changed Montreal's body language. Multiple analysts pointed to this moment as when the Canadiens stopped playing their structure and started making "safe" plays - glass-and-out, soft chips - that just handed the puck back to Buffalo. By the time Buffalo's first power-play goal made it 3-3, Montreal's PK looked scrambled and reactive, unable to get clean zone exits even when they won possessions.
Hutson's Defensive Approach Gets Tested
Hutson's 24:28 of ice time included significant penalty kill work, where his positioning and anticipation model took on heavier responsibility as the penalties piled up. His 137 blocks through 82 regular-season games showed defensive engagement, just not the physical dominance opponents target in playoff situations.
The series standings show Montreal at 48-24-10 with 106 points through 82 games, having defeated Tampa Bay 4-3 in the first round before this second-round matchup with Buffalo reached Game 7. Hutson's 78 points and 66 assists in the regular season established his offensive credentials. His plus-36 rating suggested strong results despite questions about his defensive style.
What Friday night demonstrated is that when a team's penalty kill breaks down consistently, individual defensive metrics matter less than whether the entire structure can adjust under pressure. Montreal took a string of penalties - some stick infractions, some frustration-based - and Buffalo seized every opportunity.
Beat coverage noted that Montreal overrelied on the same PK personnel after the 3-1 goal. Suzuki, Evans, and key PK defensemen ate heavy minutes early, leading to fatigue as Buffalo's power play found its rhythm. Later power plays for Buffalo saw Montreal's sticks a half-step slower, contributing to more cross-seam passes and cleaner looks from the slot.
Montreal's Young Core Faces Elimination Pressure
Arber Xhekaj opened the scoring for Montreal, and Ivan Demidov added a goal in what became a track meet rather than the structured defensive game Montreal needed. Both goals demonstrated the offensive skill Montreal has built around Suzuki and Cole Caufield, but neither stopped Buffalo from controlling the shot environment - Buffalo finished with 36 shots to Montreal's 22.
The question heading into Game 7 is whether Montreal's young core can recover from the emotional damage of squandering a 3-1 lead at home in a potential series-clincher. NHL.com's Game 7 preview coverage emphasized that Montreal had been effective protecting leads earlier in the series, making Friday's breakdown particularly concerning.
Martin St. Louis' system has leaned into creativity and pace, helping unlock young talent throughout the season. But Game 6 raised questions about whether the Canadiens can build a tighter defensive structure when they need to protect a lead rather than chase offense. At 3-1 up at home in a potential series-clincher, the traditional approach is to shut it down, clog the middle, shorten the bench. Montreal instead got dragged into an up-and-down game that favored Buffalo's transition and depth scoring.
The Special Teams Margin
Buffalo's four power-play goals on seven opportunities compared to Montreal's one on their chances tells the story of this game more clearly than the 8-3 final score. According to NHL EDGE stats released before Game 7, Montreal had outscored Buffalo 14-9 from high-danger zones in the series and outshot them 57-52 from high-danger zones through six games.
The 5-on-5 play had been relatively even. What separated Game 6 was Montreal's inability to stay disciplined and Buffalo's clinical execution when given chances. Once Buffalo found the seam reads on the power play, they became significant. Once Montreal's PK rotations got revealed, the Sabres kept attacking the same vulnerabilities.
What This Means for Game 7
The Canadiens now face an elimination game at home after failing to close out the series when they had the chance. Historically, teams that blow leads like this carry emotional baggage into deciding games. Whether Montreal can compartmentalize what happened Friday and execute a tighter defensive game plan Sunday will determine whether this season continues.
For Hutson specifically, Game 7 represents another data point in the ongoing evaluation of whether his defensive approach can hold up in the highest-leverage situations. His offensive production is legitimate - 66 assists don't happen by accident. His plus-36 rating through the regular season indicated strong results. But playoff hockey tests whether skill-based defensive play can match physical, structured shutdown defense when the margins are narrowest.
Buffalo outshot Montreal 36-22 on Friday, controlled the neutral zone once they settled in, and steadily picked apart a penalty kill that had been serviceable through five games. The Sabres' ability to absorb adversity - going down 3-1 on the road, responding with seven unanswered - demonstrated the kind of composure that wins playoff series.
Montreal's response will define how this young core is remembered. The skill is there. The question heading into Sunday is whether the defensive structure and emotional resilience match it.