Tampa celebrates, Montreal laments. © APA / MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS

Joy in Vegas and Buffalo, great anxiety in Montreal

In three games scheduled for Friday's first round of the NHL playoffs, two decisions were made: The Buffalo Sabres and the Vegas Golden Knights advanced, while the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will face off in a deciding game.

02 May 2026

From: sn

At the Bell Centre, Tampa Bay avoided elimination from the playoffs, forcing a Game 7 with a 1-0 overtime victory over the Canadiens. For much of the game, it was a nail-biter, with both teams allowing very little defensively and the goaltenders taking center stage. Andrei Vasilevskiy was the standout on the ice, recording his eighth career playoff shutout with 30 saves. On the other end, Dobes made 32 saves, but couldn't prevent the loss.

Montreal were twice unlucky to hit the woodwork through Cole Caufield, who struck the post in both the first and second periods. The game became even more tense in the final period. Alexandre Texier hit the left post again, while Tampa Bay came close to taking the lead on two power plays when first Nikita Kucherov and then Jake Guentzel both hit the post.

Goncalves becomes a hero

In overtime, the momentum initially shifted in Montreal's favor when Tampa Bay had to kill off a penalty kill. No sooner had they killed it than the game-winner arrived. Gage Goncalves followed up his own shot, reacted quickest to the rebound in the slot, and scored from close range after nine minutes to give Montreal a 1-0 victory.

The Buffalo Sabres have advanced to the next round. © APA / BRUCE BENNETT

The Buffalo Sabres made history at TD Garden, securing their advancement with a dominant 4-1 road victory over the Boston Bruins. This marks Buffalo's first playoff series win since 2007. Alex Tuch opened the scoring for the Sabres in the 4th minute after a precise pass from Rasmus Dahlin. Mattias Samuelsson extended the lead with a screened wrist shot before the end of the first period. After the intermission, Boston superstar David Pastrnak pulled one back with a one-timer on a fast break, before Zach Benson made it 3-1 in the 46th minute, assisted by Josh Doan. Josh Norris sealed the victory with an empty-net goal three minutes before the final buzzer, making the final score 4-1.

Vegas continues

The Vegas Golden Knights, meanwhile, left no doubt about their dominance on the road, securing a decisive 5-1 victory against the Utah Mammoth. This win propelled Vegas comfortably into the second round. Mitch Marner stood out with two goals and an assist, while Carter Hart impressed in goal with 21 saves. The Golden Knights will now face the Anaheim Ducks, featuring Damian Clara, in the second round.