Zach Benson scored a go-ahead power-play goal in the third period on his 21st birthday, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 on Tuesday night, leveling the Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.
Benson received a pass from Josh Doan in the slot, kicked the puck onto his stick, and flipped a backhander past goaltender Jakub Dobes at 4:41 of the third period. The goal came while Jake Evans was serving a holding penalty against Peyton Krebs.
Game 5 is set for Thursday night in Buffalo, with Game 6 returning to Montreal on Saturday. The winner of the series will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final, as Carolina swept both of its previous series.
Tage Thompson tied the game for Buffalo in the second period with an unconventional goal and also added an assist. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson opened the scoring, while Doan contributed two assists.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Alex Lyon in net after the Sabres lost Games 2 and 3, making 28 saves in his first appearance since being pulled in the third period of a first-round Game 2 loss to Boston.
Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield scored for Montreal, while Dobes made 19 saves.
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Golden Knights 3, Ducks 2 (OT)
In Las Vegas, Pavel Dorofeyev netted his second goal of the game at 4:10 of overtime, giving the Vegas Golden Knights a victory over the Anaheim Ducks and moving them within one win of advancing to the Western Conference final.
Game 6 of that second-round series is Thursday night at Anaheim.
Vegas can reach the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Anaheim, making its first playoff appearance in eight years, will aim to force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Tomas Hertl ended a 29-game goal drought dating back to the regular season, scoring in his second consecutive playoff contest. He also recorded the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s first-period power-play goal.
Jack Eichel had two assists, including the primary helper on the overtime winner. Goaltender Carter Hart stopped 34 shots for the Golden Knights.
