Topsy-turvy Sabres-Canadiens 2nd-round playoff series to be decided with Game 7 at Buffalo on Monday

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s bid to relinquish home-ice advantage has fallen on deaf ears. Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis, meantime, was busy citing physics in looking forward.

Odd as it might sound, the comments were befitting of a logic-defying, momentum-elusive NHL second-round playoff series that comes down to Game 7 on Monday night at Buffalo (7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN) — as much as Ruff would’ve welcomed a change of venue.

“It didn’t get switched,” Ruff said on Sunday with a chuckle, referring to Buffalo’s 2-4 home record this postseason. “But we’re looking forward to giving our fans our best game.”

As for Montreal, St. Louis turned to science in explaining why he prefers having the Canadiens “bounce forward” as opposed to bounce back following an 8-3 loss in Game 6 at home on Saturday night.

“I just feel bounce back, you come back to where you were,” St. Louis said. “Bounce forward, you’re actually further than where you were. Physics.”

Einstein aside, someone’s going to advance, with the well-rested Carolina Hurricanes awaiting who they’ll host in opening the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night. Carolina swept both its series, and has been off since a 3-2 overtime win over Philadelphia on May 9.

It’s anyone’s guess who they’ll face based on a series that has so far favored the road team, involved 20 of the 45 goals scored in the first period, featured a carousel of in-game goalie shuffles, and rewarded Buffalo for not practicing after not skating in the days leading to Game 6.

Saturday's outcome, perhaps, best captured the topsy-turvy essence with Montreal jumping to a 3-1 lead by the 10:14 mark of the first period, before giving up seven straight goals. The opposite happened in Game 5, in which the Sabres led 3-2 by the 10:15 mark of the first period, before losing 6-3 in Buffalo.

Ruff is so focused on making Game 7 feel like a road outing, he’s considered the Sabres spend Sunday night in a Buffalo hotel.

“I don’t know the answer. I can try to make one up,” Ruff said of his team’s 5-1 road record.

The Canadiens are drawing upon replicating their first-round series win over the Lightning. After a 1-0 loss at home in Game 6, the Canadiens followed with a 2-1 series-clinching win at Tampa Bay.

“It’s disappointing to have this effort on home ice. We can’t let that be our last game,” captain Nick Suzuki said of dropping to 2-4 at Montreal. “We’ve been in this situation already, so we have experience, and we just got to win one game.”

Montreal and Buffalo are the two youngest teams by average age still in contention, and both relative recent playoff newcomers. The Sabres are in the postseason for the first time in 15 years, while the Canadiens are making their fourth appearance in nine years.

Montreal has the Game 7 experience edge by virtue of beating Tampa Bay. Buffalo’s lineup features just eight players who have appeared in a Game 7.

They include forward Alex Tuch, who previously went 2-1 in seventh games during his four-year tenure with Vegas. The loss stands out most, given how the Golden Knights allowed four third-period power-play goals in an 5-4 overtime loss to San Jose in a 2019 first-round series.

“I’m going to try to give some of my wisdom, but at the same time, I don’t want to talk too much about my past experiences or what could go right or what can go wrong,” Tuch said.

“I’ve said it a hundred times, you got to go out there and just play hockey,” he added. “I think we’re the better team. I think we’re going to come out and compete hard, and that’s all we can control.”

Overall, the Sabres are 1-6 in Game 7, with their only series victory coming in a 1997 first-round matchup over Ottawa. Montreal is 16-9, tied for the NHL lead with Boston in Game 7 wins.

Goaltending is a question, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen expected to start after being pulled in Game 5. On Saturday, he stopped all 18 shots in taking over after Alex Lyon allowed three goals on four shots.

Jakub Dobes is Montreal’s expected starter. The rookie was yanked after allowing six goals on 33 shots in Game 6.

“Every loss is hard to sleep on, but in playoffs, it’s really after midnight you move on,” Canadiens veteran forward Phillip Danault said. “I know we’re young, but there’s no excuses. We know how we can play and we know how good we can be.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff, top right, gives instructions from the bench during the third period of Game 6 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov (93), Nick Suzuki (14) and head coach Martin St. Louis, right, watch the final minutes of play against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Montreal Canadiens' Mike Matheson (8) and Alexandre Carrier (45) rough it up with Buffalo Sabres' Tage Thompson (72) and Zach Benson, top, during the third period of Game 6 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Buffalo Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin (26) celebrates his goal over Montreal Canadiens during first period second round, Game 6, NHL playoff action in Montreal on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Buffalo Sabres' Jason Zucker (17) celebrates a goal by teammate Konsta Helenius in front of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes (75) during the second period in Game 6 in a second-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series in Montreal, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

HELSINGBORG, Sweden (AP) — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after ordering the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

The apparent change of mind came after weeks of statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the U.S. military footprint in Europe. Trump's initial order set off a flurry of action among military commanders and left allies already doubtful about America's commitment to Europe's security to ponder what forces they might have to backfill on NATO's eastern flank with Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer rotating into Poland from Germany. The dispatch to Germany of U.S. personnel trained to fire long-range missiles was also halted.

But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he would now send "an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” citing his strong ties with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump endorsed in elections last year.

“It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters Friday at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ministers from the Netherlands and Norway were sanguine about Trump’s latest move, as was Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže, who said allies knew the U.S. troop “posture was being reconsidered, and now there is no change of posture. For now.”

U.S. defense officials also expressed confusion. “We just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don’t know what this means either,” said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.

But Rubio said Washington’s allies understand that changes in the U.S. troop presence in Europe will come as the Trump administration reevaluates its force needs. “I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he said.

The latest surprise came despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments, including one from NATO’s top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, on Wednesday.

Trump's initial announcement that he would withdraw troops came as he fumed over remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said that the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in that war.

Trump told reporters that the U.S. would be cutting even more than 5,000 and also announced new tariffs on European cars. Germany is the continent’s biggest auto producer.

Rubio insisted that Trump’s decision “is not a punitive thing. It’s just something that’s ongoing.”

About 80,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Europe. The Pentagon is required to keep at least 76,000 troops and major equipment on the continent unless NATO allies are consulted and there is a determination that such a withdrawal is in U.S. interests.

The withdrawal of 5,000 troops might drop numbers below that limit.

But Trump's latest post suggests that troop numbers in Europe would not change. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski welcomed the decision to send more forces to his country, saying it ensures that “the presence of American troops in Poland will be maintained more or less at previous levels.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also welcomed the move. On Thursday, before Trump took to Truth Social again, Rutte had underlined that it was important for Europe to take care of its own security. “We have a process in place. This is normal business,” he told reporters.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, meanwhile, U.S. officials briefed the allies on the Pentagon's aims for its commitments to the NATO Force Model, which involves contingency planning for Europe’s defense in the event of serious security concerns. It was widely expected that a further reduction of U.S. forces would be coming.

Asked whether any cuts were announced, Rutte said: “I’m afraid it’s much more complicated than that.” He said the procedure “is highly classified” and declined to give details.

Rubio played down concerns about a shift in U.S. force levels in Europe, saying: "Every country has to constantly reevaluate what their needs are, what their commitments are around the world, and how to properly structure that.”

Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Emma Burrows in London contributed.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with journalists during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, front left, speak with each other during a group photo at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte look at each other as they deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže speaks at the doorstep of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at Sea U in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte deliver a statement during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives with his wife Jeanette at Malmo Airport, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Malmo-Sturup, Sweden, ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool)

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, second from left, shakes hands with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, as he is greeted by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Silvia of Sweden and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Maria Malmer Stenergard, right, before a dinner at Sofiero Castle in Helsingborg, Sweden, Thursday May 21 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard speaks to media at the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency via AP)