The Habs carried a three-goal lead into the third period in Toronto on Saturday night. They came out sluggish and looked to be close to blowing it, but a late power play goal from Zach Bolduc restored the multi-goal cushion, helping Montreal secure the 4-2 win.
The Habs were once again unable to hold a lead on Saturday, giving up a two-goal advantage against Buffalo to push the game to overtime. However, Cole Caufield scored his second of the night early in the extra frame to give Montreal the 4-3 win.
The Habs thought they had scored three goals against Detroit on Saturday but in the end, they had none through 65 minutes of play. But in the sixth round of the shootout, Zachary Bolduc first lost the puck, then gained control to fire home the winner.
The Habs had a disastrous second period on Saturday in Pittsburgh, finding themselves down by four late in the frame. They were able to come back and force overtime, however, though a bad line change in overtime proved costly, allowing Tommy Novak to pot the winner in a 6-5 game.
Shots and scoring chances were hard to come by for the Habs on Saturday in Carolina but they were still able to get the game to overtime. However, less than four minutes into the extra frame, Nikolaj Ehlers potted his second of the night to give the Hurricanes the 3-2 win to tie the series.
The Habs were able to jump out to a two-goal lead in the first period on Saturday night with a chance to clinch their series. However, Buffalo scored seven unanswered goals from there, forcing a Game Seven showdown on Monday with an 8-3 victory.
The Habs needed a bounce-back game in Buffalo on Friday night and they got it. Alex Newhook scored twice while a pair of blueliners scored as well, helping pace Montreal to a 5-1 win to tie the series at one game apiece.
There were plenty of offensive chances on Friday night but none crossed the goal line in regulation. In overtime, it was Gage Goncalves who slipped a shot past Jakub Dobes to give the Lightning the win and send the series to a seventh game.
Sunday’s series opener in Tampa Bay turned into a battle of special teams with multiple power play goals for each side. Juraj Slafkovsky had three of those tallies, the first coming early in overtime to give Montreal the 4-3 victory.
The Habs played their final home game of the regular season on Saturday as they hosted Columbus. The Blue Jackets had way more to play for than Montreal and it showed as the visitors came out strong and controlled the play from there to pick up a 5-2 win to keep their playoff hopes alive.