Sabres Even Series with Canadiens Thanks to Benson’s Birthday Goal

In a thrilling Game 4 showdown, Zach Benson celebrated his 21st birthday in style, scoring the decisive goal on a power play that lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The win allowed the Sabres to even the Eastern Conference semifinal series, setting the stage for an exciting clash in Game 5.

Benson’s pivotal moment came at 4:41 of the third period when he received a pass from Josh Doan in the slot. With a deft touch, he kicked the puck to his stick and sent a backhand shot past Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes, all while Jake Evans was serving a holding penalty against Peyton Krebs.

The Sabres had earlier tied the game in the second period with a fluky goal from Tage Thompson, who also contributed an assist. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring for Buffalo, while Doan notched two assists in the game. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, stepping in for Alex Lyon after the Sabres lost Games 2 and 3, made an impressive 28 saves in his first action since being pulled in Game 2 against Boston.

For Montreal, Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield found the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. Dobes faced 22 shots, stopping 19 as he fought to keep his team in the game.

The series now shifts to Buffalo for Game 5 on Thursday night, with Game 6 set for Saturday in Montreal. The winner of this series will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final, who have already swept through their previous matchups.

In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights edged the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime, with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring his second goal of the night just 4:10 into the extra frame. This victory puts the Golden Knights one win away from advancing to the Western Conference final.

Game 6 of this second-round series will take place on Thursday night in Anaheim. The Golden Knights are looking to reach the conference final for the first time since their Stanley Cup victory in 2023, while the Ducks, making their first playoff appearance in eight years, aim to force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Tomas Hertl, who had gone 29 games without a goal dating back to the regular season, scored twice in the last two games and provided the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s first-period power-play goal. Jack Eichel also contributed two assists, including the primary helper on the game-winner. Goalie Carter Hart was solid in net, stopping 34 shots to keep the Ducks competitive.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.