The ever-entertaining rivalry between Atlantic Division foes kick-started the action on Friday night, while a potentially long series continues out on the West Coast.
Montreal Canadiens 5, Buffalo Sabres 1
Series Tied 1-1
The Montreal Canadiens refused to head home in a 2-0 hole. Stung by a series-opening loss, the Canadiens locked down defensively and found their scoring touch in Game 2, routing the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 to steal home-ice advantage. Alex Newhook led the offensive charge, burying two pivotal goals to dictate the pace and silence the KeyBank Center crowd. Newhook was the lone Canadien with multiple points in the win. Jakub Dobes had a much-needed bounce-back game, turning away 27 shots. Lyon made 25 stops on the losing effort.
Vegas Golden Knights 6, Anaheim Ducks 2
Vegas Leads Series 2-1
The defending champions brought their heavy game to Southern California. Responding to a sluggish Game 2 outing, the Vegas Golden Knights imposed their will on the Anaheim Ducks from puck drop, cruising to a 6-2 victory at Honda Center to take a 2-1 series lead. Mitch Marner jammed home a rebound to send the Golden Knights into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead. With Ville Husso coming in relief. However, the switch did little to spark the home side, as Marner scored his second of the game just before the halfway mark of the middle stanza. The former Toronto Maple Leaf completed the hat trick before the end of the frame.