Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson finished Thursday's 6-3 Game 5 win over the Buffalo Sabres with two assists. In the second period, he provided an even-strength assist on a goal by Josh Anderson and also helped Nick Suzuki score on the power play. Hutson became only the seventh Canadiens blue-liner to record 10 assists in a single postseason. He's the first defenseman in 39 years from the team to record an assist in four straight playoff games. While Hutson does most of his scoring as a playmaker, he has also tallied two goals this postseason. With 12 points in 12 games, he is tied with Nick Suzuki for Montreal's scoring lead.

Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki collected three points as the team grabbed a 3-2 series lead with a 6-3 road victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. Suzuki picked up an early assist on Cole Caufield's first even-strength goal of the postseason, but the Canadiens found themselves 3-2 behind at the first intermission. After the break, they were a completely different team, scoring four unanswered goals. Suzuki made an impact on the power play, netting Montreal's fifth goal of the night and assisting Ivan Demidov on the sixth. With 12 games played, Suzuki shares Montreal's scoring lead in the postseason with Lane Hutson. He has produced four goals and eight assists. Strangely, all of his goals have come on the road.

Montreal Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky demonstrated elite playmaking in Game 5 against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, finishing a 6-3 road victory with three assists. He recorded two power-play assists and helped Cole Caufield to finally get his first even-strength goal of the postseason. Having netted a hat trick in Game 1 against Tampa Bay, Slafkovsky became the first Montreal player in 16 years to register two three-point games during a single playoff run. The playoff opener against the Lightning ended up being Slafkovsky's only game with points in Round 1, but he's been much sharper in the second-round matchup with Buffalo, contributing one goal and five assists in five games. Yet Slafkovsky has managed only a single even-strength point throughout the entire postseason.

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart did his part in Thursday's 5-1 series-clinching win over the Anaheim Ducks with 31 saves. He had a great night at the office, but Mikael Granlund beat Hart with a power-play goal in the second period. While Hart has had some dodgy outings this postseason, his overall work has been good. Ahead of the Western Conference Finals against the Colorado Avalanche, Hart holds an 8-4 record, 2.37 goals-against average, and a .917 save percentage. Hart has to be at the top of his game against the Avalanche, who have scored a league-high 4.11 goals per game in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.