beck malenstyn was available to return to the Buffalo Sabres lineup for Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, giving Buffalo a chance to bring back a forward who had missed the postseason after an upper-body injury on March 31. Carrick’s status matters because the series was tied 1-1 and Buffalo had been losing the draw battle.
Carrick Returns to Bell Centre
Lindy Ruff said Carrick was “available” before the Sabres visited Montreal, and the forward did not skate with the extras at Bell Centre on Sunday morning. Tyson Kozak skated after playing the first two games in the series, another sign Buffalo was sorting out its lineup around Carrick’s possible return.
Carrick had not played in the postseason before Game 3, so his availability changed the shape of Buffalo’s forward group at the most sensitive point of the series. The Sabres had just been beaten 5-1 by the Canadiens in Game 2 at KeyBank Center on Friday, a result that pushed more pressure onto every detail in Montreal.
Buffalo Needs Draw Help
The biggest reason Carrick drew attention was Buffalo’s work on face-offs. The Sabres had won 40.4 percent of the draws in the series, going 42-of-104, and Ruff pointed to Carrick’s value in that area along with his penalty killing and 5-on-5 play.
“I think we saw what he brought,” Ruff said. “He brought us some offense. He was good on face-offs. And his penalty killing was good for us. His 5-on-5 play was excellent and that's what he can bring.”
That profile fit what Buffalo got from him after acquiring him from the New York Rangers on March 6. In 13 games with the Sabres, he posted six points with five goals and one assist, production that gave Ruff a veteran option who could help in short playoff shifts and on key draws.
Montreal Holds Its Lineup
Montreal stayed with the same lineup after Game 2, where it outplayed Buffalo and got the series back to even. That left the Canadiens leaning on the group that had already taken control on Friday, including Cole Caufield, who had one goal through nine playoff games after scoring 51 in the regular season, and Alex Newhook, who had scored three goals in the past three games.
Game 3 also carried a clear series edge. In tied best-of-7 series, the winner of Game 3 holds an all-time record of 248-126, and that team was 3-2 in the 2026 playoffs. Buffalo’s shot at changing that history depended in part on whether Carrick could step back in and give the Sabres a cleaner route in the circle.
