A Buffalo bounce and a Benson birthday give the Sabres new life originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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There have been times this season when these Buffalo Sabres have felt, unexpectedly, like a team of destiny.
Never has that been more true than Tuesday night, when Tage Thompson dumped the puck into the offensive zone along the boards and got a bounce that Western New York will never forget.
The puck was just riding along the boards to the right of the Montreal defense when it took a 90-degree turn directly toward the right side of Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes — who in total fairness wasn’t expecting a hand from a hockey god to reach out and send the puck goalward.
But there it went, and it banked in off Dobes, and a play that 100 times out of 100 doesn’t turn into a bizarre bank shot goal turned into exactly that.
THE BANK IS OPEN FOR TAGE 😅
Tage Thompson scored off the boards from mid-ice to tie Game 4 up 😳 pic.twitter.com/6qdFygCSbB
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2026
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It tied the game, and Buffalo would win it in the third period on a birthday goal from Zach Benson, 3-2.
Their series is evened up now with the Montreal Canadiens, two games apiece, with Game 5 back in Buffalo on Thursday.
The Sabres could’ve been pushed fully back against the wall on this night. The Canadiens were playing in front of their passionate home fans after two drubbings in a row put them ahead in the series.
But on this night, Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff made a change in the forward group (Konsta Helenius), a change in defense (Luke Schenn) and returned to Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal. And whether from the changes or simply from a shift in mentality, the Sabres came out on the front foot.
Buffalo had eight of the first 10 shots, including a Mattias Samuelsson goal to take the lead. It could’ve been 2-0 if a long replay review had stood, but instead goalie interference was called, and Montreal seized that momentum.
Instead of 2-0 Sabres, it quickly turned to 2-1 Montreal, and Buffalo needed to find something, anything, to get back in it.
That’s when Thompson, never expecting his toss down the ice to turn into a goal, magically tied the game for Buffalo.
And that left the finishing matters for Zach Benson, who turned 21 on this night and certainly will never have to buy his own drink in Buffalo.
The feed from Josh Doan was pristine, and Benson’s stickwork in front of net was precise. He gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead that they defended for their lives for most of the third period, and it turned out to be enough.
ZACH BENSON FLIPS IT IN AND THE SABRES TAKE A THIRD PERIOD LEAD 👀 pic.twitter.com/67Xs2XEdl5
— ESPN (@espn) May 13, 2026
Buffalo, which looked like it might be in trouble after the consecutive Canadiens wins, has now turned things back in its favor. Two of the final three potential games of this series will be played in the friendly confines of the KeyBank Center.
On top of that, it seems they’ve solved their lineup. Helenius was sharp throughout, and UPL made saves when he needed to.
Playoff hockey is filled with twists and turns — none more dramatic than Thompson’s goal. But on a night when Buffalo needed things to go its way, they did, and now the Sabres have plenty of playoff life left to work with.