* Mitch Marner added to his League-leading point totals with a highlight-reel goal, Brett Howden tied an NHL record with his third shorthanded tally of the postseason and the Golden Knights advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since their Stanley Cup-winning run in 2023.
* In a Game 5 that featured five goals in the opening 10:15, Montreal prevailed after overcoming three separate deficits to win a playoff game for the fifth time in franchise history. The Canadiens will return to the Bell Centre with the opportunity to advance to the 2026 Eastern Conference Final.
* The NHL will return to action on Saturday for Game 6 of the 2026 Second Round between Montreal and Buffalo, with the Sabres aiming to stave off elimination and force a winner-take-all Game 7.
MARNER NETS HIGHLIGHT-REEL GOAL, GOLDEN KNIGHTS REACH CONFERENCE FINALS
Mitch Marner (1-1—2) opened the scoring with a highlight-reel between-the-legs goal while Brett Howden (1-0—1), who scored just 12 tallies during the 2025-26 regular season, netted his eighth goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the series-clinching marker to help the Golden Knights advance to the Conference Finals for the fifth time in their nine-year history.
* Marner (7-11—18 in 12 GP) extended his lead as the NHL’s leading scorer this postseason and boosted his road totals to 6-7—13 (6 GP). He became the fifth active skater to record at least nine road points in a single series, following Leon Draisaitl (2-8—10 in 2022 R2), Mark Scheifele (7-2—9 in 2018 R2), Sidney Crosby (3-6—9 in 2018 R1) and Jonathan Toews (3-6—9 in 2010 CSF).
* After tallying 2-1—3 in Game 6 in the First Round to clinch Vegas’ series against Utah and then posting multiple points Thursday, Marner became the third Golden Knights skater to record multiple points in two straight potential series-clinching games. He joined Reilly Smith (Game 6 of 2023 CF & Game 5 of 2023 SCF) and Shea Theodore (Game 7 of 2021 R1 & Game 6 of 2021 R2).
* Howden scored his third shorthanded goal of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and tied the NHL record for most in a single postseason. He became the fourth active player to score a shorthanded series-clinching goal, joining Aleksander Barkov (Game 5 of 2024 R1), Michael McLeod (Game 7 of 2023 R1) and Yanni Gourde (Game 7 of 2021 SF).
* The Golden Knights and Avalanche will face off in the postseason for the second time following a six-game victory by Vegas in the 2021 Second Round. Vegas (12) and Colorado (11) each have at least 11 Stanley Cup winners on their roster – this will mark the fourth Conference Finals where both teams had a double-digit total since the series was introduced in 1982, following the Blackhawks (20) and Kings (15) in 2014, Bruins (18) and Penguins (11) in 2013 as well as the Avalanche (17) and Red Wings (12) in 2002.
FAST GOALS, TYING GOALS AND A COMEBACK WIN: GAME 5 FEATURED IT ALL
Game 5 started with a flurry of goals as five were scored in the opening 10:15 – including two of those within nine seconds – and saw the Canadiens overcome three separate deficits before Montreal improved to 5-0 after a loss this postseason. Led by Nick Suzuki (1-2—3), Juraj Slafkovský (0-3—3) and Lane Hutson (0-2—2), the Canadiens took a 3-2 series lead and moved within one win of the 2026 Eastern Conference Final.
* The Canadiens and Sabres combined for five goals in the opening 10:15, which marked the 10th-fastest five goals by both teams from the start of a playoff game in NHL history. The last postseason contest to feature five faster tallies was 26 years ago (LAK-DET: Game 2 of 2000 CQF).
* After going down 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 before scoring four straight goals, Montreal overcame three separate deficits to win a playoff game for the fifth time in franchise history (also Game 3 of 1986 CF, Game 4 of 1979 SCF, Game 7 of 1979 SF & Game 1 of 1956 SCF). That is also the most deficits they’ve overcome to win a postseason contest.
* Hutson improved his 2026 playoff totals to 2-10—12 (12 GP), which currently is the second-highest total among all defensemen this postseason and tied for the seventh most by a Montreal blueliner in a playoff year over the past four decades. Hutson also matched the third-fewest games to 10 assists in a postseason by a Canadiens defenseman (also Larry Robinson in 1987 & J.C. Tremblay in 1971 w/ 12 GP), behind Robinson (7 GP in 1978) and Doug Harvey (11 GP in 1959).
* The Canadiens recorded their 30th comeback win through the regular season and playoffs combined, which is the most among all teams. It also is just the third time in franchise history they’ve recorded as many in a season (regular season & playoffs), following 1992-93 (31) and 1975-76 (31).
QUICK CLICKS
* Conference Final schedule scenarios announced
* Canadiens-Sabres Potential Game 7 set for 7:30 p.m. ET on May 18
* Kris Knoblauch fired as Oilers coach, no replacement named
* King Clancy nominee essay: Lukas Dostal of Ducks donates to charity for each save made
*Eric Tulsky talks Hurricanes’ playoff run, offseason additions in Q&A with NHL.com
NHL ACTION RETURNS WITH A GAME 6 ON SATURDAY
The Round 2 series between two teams that were within four standings points of one another for each of the final 19 days of the regular season will take center stage on Saturday night in Montreal when the Canadians take aim at advancing to the 2026 Eastern Conference Final, while the Sabres look to force a winner-take-all contest. There has been a Game 7 in the Second Round during each of the past four postseasons dating to 2022 and at least one in the Second Round/Conference Semifinals in 16 of the last 17 since 2009.
