Canadiens fans face another schedule change for the Sabres game

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Skyler Walker
May 13, 2026  (7:53 PM)

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Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Nick Suzuki and Martin St-Louis now know Game 6 in Montreal will start later than usual.

The Canadiens' loss at the Bell Centre locked in a real schedule change for the rest of the series against the Buffalo Sabres.

With the series tied 2-2, Montreal is now guaranteed to host Game 6 on Saturday night.

That game will start at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, which makes it the first Canadiens home start at that hour in the 2026 playoffs.

It's a small shift on paper, but it changes the rhythm around the club and the fan base heading into one of the biggest games of the spring.

Through the first four games, the schedule had stayed consistent enough for supporters to settle into the usual routine.

Now the full path is set. Game 5 goes Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.

That part stays familiar. It's the standard start time fans have followed since puck drop in this series.

Game 6 is where things change.

Saturday night at the Bell Centre will open an hour later, and that's the wrinkle now confirmed.

For Montreal, that means a different day flow, a longer buildup, and a slightly altered pregame window around one of the loudest buildings in the league.

For fans, it also means extra time to enjoy Saturday before the puck drops.

At the Bell Centre, that only adds more juice around the building.

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There's little doubt the timing is tied to television priorities south of the border more than anything happening inside Montreal's locker room.

That part won't surprise Canadien supporters.

The league often shifts these windows when broadcast value starts driving the schedule.

Still, none of it changes the bigger issue for St-Louis and his group.

They need to get back home with control of the series.

A win Thursday in Buffalo would give the Canadiens a 3-2 edge and put them one step from the Eastern Conference finals.

If the Sabres push this thing the distance, Game 7 would be played Monday, May 18, with the start time still not announced.

So yes, the 8:00 p.m. start matters. But only if Montreal handles its business first.

Previously

A terrible development is confirmed for Ivan Demidov before game 5 against the Sabres on Thursday

NHL delivers controversial playoff suspension after unsettling hit in game 5 by Golden Knights' Brayden McNabb

Canadiens forward suggests he may not return to Montreal after playoff run

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