Montreal Canadiens aim to ride momentum, take 3-1 series lead over visiting Sabres
Posted May 12, 2026 8:17 am.
Last Updated May 12, 2026 6:10 pm.
The Montreal Canadiens will try to move within one win of advancing when they host the Buffalo Sabres in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.
Montreal enters the game with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series after back-to-back victories, including a 6-2 win in Game 3 on Sunday.
The Canadiens will look to build on the strong play that fuelled their turnaround after dropping the series opener in Buffalo.
The Canadiens have a lot going for them heading into tonight’s fourth game: they have rediscovered their potent offence to help take some pressure off rookie netminder Jakub Dobes; the fans at Bell Centre have really cranked up the volume; and the Habs have won back-to-back games for the first time this post-season.
Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, credited for pushing all the right buttons to reach this point of the season, insists the playoffs have been “fun” and “extra loud” and expects Tuesday night’s key game to be no different.
Defenceman Lane Hutson continued his impressive postseason in Game 3, recording two primary assists to bring his playoff total to nine points, the most among Canadiens players.
Buffalo will again lean on forward Tage Thompson, who scored in Game 3 for his first goal since Game 1 of the Sabres’ first-round series against Boston.
Canadiens recall four from Laval Rocket
The Canadiens announced Monday that forwards Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj, along with defencemen Adam Engstrom and David Reinbacher, were recalled from the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket.
The recalls came after Laval was eliminated Saturday in the deciding game of its North Division semifinal series.
Beck finished tied for the Rocket lead in playoff scoring with five points in five games and recorded 33 points in 58 regular-season games.
Engstrom led Laval defencemen in scoring with 34 points in 45 games, while Reinbacher posted 24 points and a plus-18 rating in 57 contests.
Xhekaj recorded 29 points and 182 penalty minutes in 64 games this season.
Engstrom, Reinbacher and Xhekaj all made their NHL debuts with Montreal during the 2025-26 campaign.
Fans eager for Game 4
Fans of all ages from Montreal and other parts of Canada were already gathering in front of the Bell Centre on Tuesday morning in anticipation of game four.
“They have to keep up the, as I say, pedal to the metal, keep their foot down. They’re great offensively. They just need to keep pushing, and they’ll do it. They’ll go back to Buffalo with a chance to close out,” said John Haley, a Thunder Bay, Ontario resident. “It’s, how do you say it? The words are, you come in, you hear the organist, as soon as you come into the building, you get the chills. And then the pre-game, up to the time they’re on the ice, it’s a fabulous one of a kind experience.”
Milo Burko, a Montrealer, said, “They’re young, they’re fun, they’re all excited. This is something like their first real playoff experience. So just building this chemistry really helps this team. And they’re hungry. They want it more than any other team.”
Mike MacDonnell, from Halifax, Nova Scotia, said, “I just can’t wait to feel the electricity in the city and in the building. It’s gonna be amazing.”
Vachon Noel, a Deer Lake, Newfoundland resident, said, “I’ve been a Montreal Canadiens fan since I was a toddler. So this is very, very, very important to us.”
Not everyone here in Montreal cheers for the Canadiens. Moshe Lander, a senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University, is a big Buffalo Sabres fan.
“I think right now, Buffalo’s biggest players have to shine, and they really haven’t yet. So the fact that they were able to win a game without the best players being the best players means that if they wake up, there’s a series still to be had,” said Lander.
Cheering on the Canadiens is not only being done by Habs fans here, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford is also now supporting the team during the playoffs.
“Go Habs, you know, Montreal’s great. And I can’t believe I just said Go Habs. So to my friend Keith Pelley, MLSE, I apologize, but we’re cheering on the Habs, Canadian team. We love Montreal,” said Premier Ford.
Bell Centre preparing for another playoff atmosphere
Fans are being encouraged to arrive early for the 7 p.m. puck drop, with the Canadiens asking supporters to be in their seats by 6:50 p.m. for the pre-game show.
Commemorative rally towels will be placed on every seat for the game.
Outside the arena, the Canadiens’ Watch Party: Street Edition will open at 5 p.m. on Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal. Organizers added a third screen for Round 2 to accommodate demand.
The Fan Jam pregame event at Canadiens Plaza will also run from 5-7 p.m., featuring live broadcasts, food and fan activities.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Sportsnet.
–With files from Gareth Madoc-Jones and The Canadian Press
