Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki delivered one of the best performances in Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday Night.

The Canadiens earned a 6-3 win in this game and took a lead of 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After this victory, Nick Suzuki came out to give his comments on his team’s performance as they advance to the next round.

“It takes a lot to put a team away, especially when they are fighting for their lives,” Suzuki said. “We have to have that same attitude. ... Hopefully get rested and ready to go, and hopefully close it out at home.” 

Suzuki became one of the most important leaders for the team this season, as the player finished with one goal and two assists, leading them to victory. But these post-game comments show that the team is not trying to get ahead of itself.

They emphasize preparing for the next round, Game 6, rather than celebrating too much.

The 26-year-old put a lot of effort into this season, as he kept contributing towards the offense while helping the younger players around him develop.

The reaction of the opponent team was pretty opposite as they went through another difficult loss in their home. The Sabres captain, Rasmus Dahlin, expressed his frustration with their own performance this time.

“We just have to look at ourselves in the mirror. We just have to play better on home ice. It's unacceptable,” Rasmus said after the defeat. 

While the Sabres struggled to defend and keep up their pace, Montreal was more controlled throughout the game.

Canadiens win over the Sabres in Game 5

Game 5 took place on Thursday night at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, where the Canadiens went on to defeat the Sabres 6-3 in another intense playoff match.

Buffalo started on a more aggressive note and took three separate one-goal leads through Jason Zucker, Josh Doan, and rookie Konsta Helenius in the opening period itself. But Montreal managed to get back every single time.

Suzuki led the Canadiens offensively with one goal and two assists, while Juraj Slafkovsky added three assists. Cole Caufield also maintained his strong postseason form by scoring for his team.

Josh Anderson tied the game 3-3 in the second period before Jake Evans scored to give Montreal the lead for the first time in the night.

Ivan Demidov later added a powerful goal, and Montreal finished with four straight goals in the third period. Buffalo eventually replaced goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after he allowed five goals. 

This win gave Montreal a 3-2 lead in the series and an opportunity to win the series at home in Game 6, with their captain, Suzuki, again leading the team.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason