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Montr\u00e9al Canadiens players celebrate their win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Tampa, Fla.<\/p>\n
Chris O’Meara\/AP<\/p>\n
Vegas Golden Knights center Brett Howden (21) celebrates after scoring against the Utah Mammoth in the second overtime of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
John Locher\/AP<\/p>\n
Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff reacts during the third period in Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Boston Bruins Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in Buffalo, N.Y.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey T. Barnes\/AP<\/p>\n
Closeout time has arrived in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the pressure to avoid a Game 7 is squarely on Montreal, Buffalo and Vegas on Friday night.<\/p>\n
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A tantalizing tripleheader of Game 6 action begins with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s visit to the Canadiens and the Sabres’ trip to Boston, followed by the Golden Knights visiting the Utah Mammoth in the nightcap.<\/p>\n
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While the Knights have had a wealth of postseason success \u2014 more than their share, most of their opponents would say \u2014 during their first nine seasons in the NHL, the Mammoth will look to stay alive for their first playoff series victory since moving to Salt Lake City last season.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a series-clinching win would be nothing less than monumental for the Canadiens and the Sabres, whose hockey-hungry markets would love to see the second round again.<\/p>\n
No fan base in the league has been hungrier for longer than Buffalo, which went 14 years without seeing a playoff game before these Sabres won their first Atlantic Division title this spring.<\/p>\n
They’ve got an even bigger step to take now, however \u2014 learning to close out a playoff series. The Sabres barely failed in their first chance Tuesday, losing Game 5 at home in overtime to the resilient Bruins.<\/p>\n
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Then again, Buffalo\u2019s lineup didn\u2019t have a lot of experience, with just 10 players having previously appeared in an outing with a chance to eliminate an opponent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe trusted the process to get to this point,\u201d Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to continue to trust it. It\u2019s a team (that for) a whole year has won together and lost together, but embrace this moment — and somebody for us is going to be a big time player. I can\u2019t tell you who that is, but somebody will.”<\/p>\n
Buffalo\u2019s power play continues to sputter: Rasmus Dahlin\u2019s goal in Game 5 was the Sabres’ first with the man advantage in 18 opportunities this series. Buffalo enters Game 6 having converted one of 20 power-play chances against Boston after going 0-for-22 to close the regular season.<\/p>\n
The Sabres’ last playoff series victory was in the second round in 2007 against the New York Rangers.<\/p>\n
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Vegas Golden Knights at Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n
When\/Where to Watch: Game 6, Friday, 10 p.m. EDT (ESPN).<\/p>\n
Series: Golden Knights lead 3-2.<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights are one victory away from advancing because of \u2026 special teams?<\/p>\n
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Vegas\u2019 power play has remained a confounding problem for coach John Tortorella, who has tinkered with the first and second units to find some kind of answer for one of the NHL’s best groups in the regular season.<\/p>\n
But special teams carried Vegas in Wednesday night\u2019s 5-4 double-overtime victory over the Mammoth. The first of Pavel Dorofeyev\u2019s three goals came with the man advantage, and he forced OT with a six-on-five goal with 52.7 seconds left in regulation before Brett Howden\u2019s short-handed winner.<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights also killed all five of Utah\u2019s power plays. The Mammoth have converted just one of 14 power plays this series.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really came up big for us tonight,\u201d Tortorella said of the penalty kill. \u201cIt\u2019s a skilled team, a very dangerous power play, really big in OT as far as the kill. It\u2019s steadied itself. Utah gets a lot of momentum off their power play whether they score or not. I think we\u2019ve done a better job as the series has gone on.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Golden Knights still need to find their own way on the power play. Dorofeyev\u2019s first goal ended a drought of 13 power plays without scoring, and they are just 3 of 18 for the series.<\/p>\n