Resultat canadien: the Canadiens de Montréal beat the Sabres de Buffalo 6-2 in Game 3 at the Centre Bell and moved ahead 2-1 in the series. Three minutes remained when Montreal was already up 6-2, and the home side had its first series lead of the matchup.
Centre Bell Takes Over
“C’est la fête dans le Centre Bell.” That line matched the scoreline on the ice, where Montreal kept adding to the margin in front of its crowd and turned a tight series into a 2-1 lead after three games. A stoppage followed a foire d'empoigne during the game, but the Canadiens stayed in control after that break.
Goals From Elsewhere
The result fit a wider pattern in Montreal’s playoff run. The first line had been struggling, yet the goals were coming from elsewhere, and that was enough to push the Canadiens through another high-scoring night. In Buffalo earlier in the playoffs, Montreal won 5-1 and left the series tied 1-1 before taking this third-game edge.
That earlier win also set up the line used in the live coverage: “Pour la première fois des présentes séries éliminatoires, le Canadien a achevé son adversaire.” Game 3 gave that statement more weight, because the Canadiens finished the job on home ice and did it with a six-goal answer instead of leaning on one line to carry the load.
Montreal’s Third Screen
The organization also added a third screen to the outdoor broadcast at the Centre Bell starting Sunday night for Game 3 against Buffalo, a sign of how much attention the matchup drew before puck drop. On the bench, Lindy Ruff watched his Sabres fall behind by two games to one, while Jakub Dobeš held up his end of the night in a game that swung firmly Montreal’s way.
The series now shifts with Montreal holding the edge it wanted at home. The Canadiens have shown they can win by score and by depth, and Buffalo has to answer after allowing six goals in Game 3.
