Sabres start Alex Lyon in goal for Game 6 against Canadiens

For the third time during this Stanley Cup Playoff run, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff is making a change in goal.

Alex Lyon will get the start for the Sabres in a Game 6 on Saturday night in which Buffalo is facing elimination at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens. Lyon was the first goalie off the ice at the team’s morning skate, and he led the team out for pre-game warmups.

Ruff benched Lyon after a Game 3 loss in favor of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who delivered a win in Game 4 but struggled in Game 5, a brutal loss that ended in a 5-3 margin on a night where the Sabres had a chance to take full control of the series on home ice.

That came after a switch during the first-round series victory over the Boston Bruins, when Ruff first turned to Lyon after Luukkonen faltered in a Game 2 loss at home that allowed the Bruins to tie the series.

In seven starts and nine appearances this postseason, Lyon owns a 4-3 record with a with a .917 save percentage and 2.25 goals against average. Luukkonen’s numbers check in at a .851 SV% and 4.20 GAA.

Buffalo’s total team collapse in Game 5 saw them lose a game in which they had taken a lead on three different occasions in the first period.

Now, the Sabres are looking to stay alive in their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, and with a win, they’d force a Game 7 back home at KeyBank Arena, where they have struggled more than they have thrived during this run.

The winner of this series between Montreal and Buffalo will meet the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The Hurricanes are the top seed in the East, and they went 8-0 by sweeping their first two series against Ottawa and Philadelphia.

Game 1 of the East Final will be in Raleigh on Tuesday if Montreal wins Saturday, or on Thursday if Buffalo forces a Game 7.