What happened
The Buffalo Sabres picked up a pivotal road win in Montreal to square their second-round series with the Canadiens at two games apiece. ESPN flagged the result with a 'Buffalo answers the bell' note, and the same-handle timeline highlighted a third-period go-ahead goal from Zach Benson and a long-range Tage Thompson tally that earlier tied Game 4. The win comes after Montreal had taken a Game 3 edge at the Bell Centre.
Why it matters
Stealing a game on the road resets home-ice advantage and shifts momentum back to the Sabres heading into a best-of-three. Buffalo has now traded blows with Tage Thompson — who opened scoring in Game 3 — leading the response, keeping the series a coin flip rather than a 3-1 hole. Series-tied spots historically swing closing-price markets sharply on the Game 5 host.
What to watch
Game 5 shifts back to Buffalo with the series knotted, and the Sabres will look to ride the Thompson-Benson scoring punch into a series lead. Watch for lineup tweaks from Montreal after dropping home ice and any goaltending adjustments.