Story perspectives

Buffalo Defeats Montreal 4-2, Byram Ties Playoff Goal Record

5/7/2026

Summary

Buffalo Wins

Buffalo beat Montreal 4–2 in Game 1 of the round on May 6, 2026.
Josh Doan, Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored, Byram and McLeod delivering power-play goals that created a 4–1 lead.
Montreal responded with goals by Jordan Greenway, Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, cutting the gap to 4–2 with 3:29 left.
Lyon stopped 26 shots while Dobes made 12 saves.
Power-play was 2-of-3 as Byram tied franchise record with four playoff goals.

Summary

Buffalo Favored

The Buffalo Sabres are -136 favorites on the money line for Game 1.
The model predicts 5.9 goals, favoring the Over against the 5.5-goal over/under.
SportsLine’s Projection Model ran 10,000 simulations, delivering a +668 return on top money-line picks entering the second round.
Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson are projected to total 1.02 goals together.
Goaltenders Alex Lyon (28th) and Jakub Dobes (29th) rank near the league’s bottom in goals-against average.

History

Historical Context

After the 2004-05 NHL lockout ended in February 2005, the league adopted a salary-cap collective bargaining agreement that reshaped team payrolls. This financial restructuring opened the way for data-driven models that now influence betting odds and goaltender assessments, evident in the 2026 playoff series between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.

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Buffalo Wins

Buffalo beat Montreal 4–2 in Game 1 of the round on May 6, 2026.
Josh Doan, Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored, Byram and McLeod delivering power-play goals that created a 4–1 lead.
Montreal responded with goals by Jordan Greenway, Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach, cutting the gap to 4–2 with 3:29 left.
Lyon stopped 26 shots while Dobes made 12 saves.
Power-play was 2-of-3 as Byram tied franchise record with four playoff goals.

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