3 Sabres most to blame for Game 3 loss to Canadiens

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3 Sabres most to blame for Game 3 loss to Canadiens

Bryan Logan, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, May 11, 2026 ·

5 min read

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3 Sabres most to blame for Game 3 loss to Canadiens appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Buffalo Sabres have fallen behind in their Stanley Cup Playoffs series with the Montreal Canadiens . The Sabres fell 6-2 on Sunday , in a game that the team did not play disciplined.

After a solid Game 1 performance from the Sabres, where they won 4-2, the Sabres have now struggled in back-to-back games. It was a 5-1 loss in Game 2 at home before hitting the road for Game 3. Tage Thompson finally found the back of the net , scoring just 53 seconds into the game. Still, Alex Newhook would. tie the game late in the period.

The second period would be a disaster. The Sabres gave up three goals in the first 12:17 of the period, including two on the powerplay. While they would get one back with the man advantage in the second period, they were already down by too much. The Habs added two more in the third period, and the Sabres lost the game 6-2. While multiple players struggled in the game, there are three players who need to shoulder a chunk of the blame.

Alex Tuch killed the momentum

Alex Tuch has not had a great series so far against the Canadiens. In the first series against the Boston Bruins , Tuch found the back of the net four times while adding three assists. He also had a plus-eight plus/minus rating. In the three games in the series with the Canadiens, he has not registered a point, while having a minus-six plus/minus rating.

With Tuch struggling on offense, he attempted to set the tone of the game with his physical play. He did that just 30 seconds into the game. After giving the puck away, he laid a big hit on Mike Matheson . This would ultimately lead to a turnover that led to the Tage Thompson goal. He would deliver three more hits in the first period and finish the game with six of them. Still, he was not able to find a point once again, even with four shots on goal. Tuch also had three giveaways, the most on the Sabres.

Still, one of the major plays that stood out was a penalty. The Sabres made it a 4-2 game in the second period. Thompson won the next faceoff and then started putting pressure back on the Canadiens. Then, Tuch hit Juraj Slafkovsky and was penalized for a high stick. While the Canadiens did not convert on the powerplay, the momentum from the second goal was gone, and the Sabres never got it back.

Bowen Byram 's defensive play was horrid

Bowen Byram has been one of the more reliable defenders throughout the regular season for the Sabres. He played 22:20 of ice time per game, coming away with 42 points while having a plus-15 plus/minus rating. He also gave up the fewest number of high-danger opportunities per 60 minutes of play on the Sabres. His last two games have not been to the level of play he has become accustomed to. In Game 2, he had a minus-three plus/minus rating, and then a minus-two rating in Game 3. Further, he gave up multiple high-danger scoring chances. He knew after the game that he needs to fix the mistakes he made , speaking to the media, per Amalie Benjamin.

"We're just letting them get to their game," defenseman Bowen Byram said. "They're a good team. When we get to our game we're a really good team too. We have to push to get on top of them, track and get above their forwards. They're a good team and when they get to their game, they're hard to slow down. Lots of mistakes. You don't lose games 6-2 without mistakes. Lost coverage. They outworked us."

Byram lost coverage on his man early in the game. He lost his player earlier in the period, allowing a wide-open shot on Alex Lyon . Then, both Byram and Connor Timmons were caught behind the net and lost a puck battle to Alex Newhook. Newhook found Jake Evans , who was wide open in front of the net. While Lyon stopped the puck, Byram did not get back into position, allowing Newhook to gather the rebound and tie the game. If the Sabres are going to tie the series, it starts with Byram playing better.

Alex Lyon needs to step up for the Sabres

Alex Lyon was left out to dry multiple times in Game 3. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff defended Lyon , who made 13 saves in the first period alone.

"He was very good all night," Ruff said. "Nothing about Alex Lyon, this game."

While Lyon was defended by his coach, he needs to be better overall. The netminder took over for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in game two of the first round period against the Boston Bruins. He was great, taking over as the starting goaltender. In his next five starts, he was over .925 save percentage and let in two or fewer goals. In Game 2, he allowed four goals on just 27 shots.

In Game 3, he started strong, stopping 13 of 14 shots on net. Had he kept that save percentage all night, he would have let in between two and three goals, which is a much different-looking end of the game. Instead, he would allow four goals on the next 20 shots. If Lyons can return to the play he had in the first series and Game 1 against the Canadiens, the Sabres can turn around the series. If not, the Canadiens could be moving on to play the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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