Sabres Beat Canadiens 4-2 in Game 1 of Second Round

BUFFALO, N.Y. Buffalo Sabres forward Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scored on consecutive power-play opportunities Wednesday night, powering a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

The win marked Buffalo's first appearance in the second round since 2007 and its deepest playoff run in 15 years. Josh Doan and Jordan Greenway also scored for the Sabres, who revived a struggling special-teams unit that had faltered earlier in the postseason. Goaltender Alex Lyon made 26 saves to earn the victory, improving his record to 4-1 since taking over as the starter in Game 3 of Buffalo's first-round series against Boston.

Montreal's Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach tallied the Canadiens' goals, but the team appeared sluggish after a grueling first-round series against Tampa Bay. That matchup went the full seven games, with each decided by one goal and four requiring overtime. Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes stopped 12 shots but allowed four goals after surrendering just two combined during the split of Games 6 and 7 against the Lightning.

Buffalo capitalized on its power-play chances to build a lead, with Byram and McLeod striking in quick...