Montreal won because Luukkonen conceded 2.70 goals above league average while Montreal converted special teams at 50% — two compounding failures Buffalo could not survive in a 3-goal game.
⚡TURNING POINT
Demidov's power-play goal at 3:32 of the third extended the lead to 6-3, eliminating any mathematical threat of a Buffalo comeback. With Buffalo's power play already 0-for-4 on the night, Montreal converting again on the man advantage confirmed the game's structural inequality — the team that scored on the penalty kill opportunity sealed it.
🏆WHY MTL WON (ranked by impact — most decisive first)
1
Goaltending: Dobes conceded 0.60 goals below league average on 36 shots — in a game where Montreal's own defense allowed a 36-shot volume, that margin absorbed Buffalo's offensive pressure entirely.
2
Special Teams: Power play 2-for-4 (50.0%) against Buffalo's 0-for-4 — both Montreal power-play goals came in the game's final 26 minutes, when the score was still contestable.
3
Faceoffs: 55.9% faceoff rate (33 of 59 won) — zone possession control in the second period enabled three unanswered even-strength goals.
📉WHY BUF LOST (ranked by impact — biggest failure first)
1
Goaltending: Luukkonen conceded 2.70 goals above league average on 23 shots — removed at 40 minutes, that margin directly accounts for the losing deficit.
2
Special Teams: Power play 0-for-4 — Buffalo generated four man-advantage opportunities and converted none, surrendering the game's only special-teams equity to Montreal.
3
Blocked Shots: BUF blocked 11 shots to MTL's 25 — Montreal's defensive structure suppressed Buffalo's shot quality in the second period when all three unanswered goals were scored.
Three Stars
Nick Suzuki1st
MTL, C
1G 2A3 points1 PPGTOI 20:45
Suzuki touched the scoresheet on both power-play goals and drove the offensive structure that made the second-period surge irreversible.
Juraj Slafkovský2nd
MTL, L
0G 3A3 pointsTOI 19:17
Three assists across all three scoring phases — even strength and power play — made Slafkovský the connective tissue of every Montreal sequence that mattered.
Ivan Demidov3rd
MTL, R
1G 1A2 points5 SOG1 PPGTOI 14:44
Demidov generated the game's highest shot volume among skaters and scored the clinching power-play goal in the third period.
