Lindy Ruff calls out two Montreal Canadiens players as 'diving' frustration grows

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Skyler Walker
May 14, 2026  (8:53)

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Photo credit: YouTube Buffalo Sabres

Lindy Ruff didn't wait long Wednesday, and Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff made sure Buffalo's message was clear before Game 5.

He said three short sentences, then took direct aim at Montreal's power-play draw.

Ruff said the Canadiens fall too easily and hinted the officials have bought into it.

That's the story now in this series, not just the 3-2 Buffalo win in Game 4.

Buffalo has taken 26 minor penalties through 4 games.

Strip out the matching calls, and the Sabres still sit at 19 net minors, which explains why Ruff is pushing this angle so hard.

The usual NHL fine for diving is 5,000, and Ruff's comments felt like a public request for the league to start looking at Montreal that way.

It also sets up Thursday night in Buffalo. If the Sabres get whistled again, Ruff has already framed the conversation before puck drop.

That's where the contradiction kicks in.

Ruff says the Canadiens go down too easily, yet he has also admitted his own club needs to keep its sticks down and stay out of those spots.

That part matters because Buffalo has handed Montreal too many power-play looks already.

When a coach says both things in the same breath, he's not just breaking down tape. He's playing the series.

Josh Doan is part of that picture.

He took 3 penalties over the first 3 games, then answered with a stronger Game 4 and helped Buffalo settle things down.

Tage Thompson gave Montreal another opening Tuesday when he went to the box after a post-whistle shove on Kaiden Guhle.

Cole Caufield cashed in, and that's exactly the kind of sequence Ruff can't ignore.

Ruff even admitted that some of these calls might slide in the regular season but get called in the playoffs.

That's not a complaint as much as an acknowledgment of the standard.

What gives Buffalo room to push this tactic is the play of its younger forwards.

Zach Benson has 7 points in 10 playoff games, Doan has 9 in 10, and they've taken pressure off Thompson.

Konsta Helenius added another wrinkle in his first playoff game by driving 6 shot attempts, even with his goal wiped out for goalie interference.

So yes, Ruff is frustrated.

But more than that, he's planting the idea that if Buffalo takes another bad penalty in Game 5, the Canadiens may have helped sell it.

Previously

Edmonton Oilers officially announce the firing of a once beloved member of the staff: Kris Knoblauch is gone

Brock Boeser photo sparks controversy and puts Canucks back in the Quinn Hughes mess

Jared Bednar sparks backlash with four-word Cale Makar update

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1 HOUR AGO   |   130 ANSWERS Lindy Ruff calls out two Montreal Canadiens players as 'diving' frustration grows Should the NHL fine the Canadiens for diving after Lindy Ruff's comments ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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