Gary Bettman just made another controversial scheduling change involving the Canadiens

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Vincent Carbonneau
May 14, 2026  (5:22 PM)

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Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Nick Suzuki and Martin St-Louis just got another playoff routine curveball from the NHL.

The league changed the start time again in the Canadiens-Sabres series, moving a potential Game 7 to 7:30 PM Eastern on Monday, May 18 at KeyBank Center.

That may sound minor from the outside. In a second-round series tied 2-2, it is not nothing.

This is now the third different start time attached to this matchup. Most of the series has been played at 7:00 PM, Game 6 was slotted for 8:00 PM Saturday at the Bell Centre, and now a possible Game 7 would start at 7:30 PM.

That kind of shuffle gets old fast for fans. It also drags on players and coaches who build their entire day around routine.

The file makes that point clearly. Montreal's group has to adjust its pregame flow again, and that means another small reset for St-Louis and his room before the biggest game of the season if it gets there.

The reason looks obvious. This is another television-driven move, with ESPN carrying the game in the United States and Sportsnet, CBC, and TVA Sports handling it in Canada.

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That is where the frustration really kicks in. One time change is normal in spring hockey. Three different windows in the same second-round series starts to look sloppy.

For Suzuki and the Canadiens, the best answer is simple: do not let it get there. Montreal entered Game 5 Thursday night with the series tied 2-2, meaning one win in Buffalo would put the club a single step from the Eastern Conference Final.

That raises the stakes on the whole conversation. If Montreal handles business, none of this matters. If the series goes the distance, everyone has to bend again for another new puck-drop time.

Fans feel that too. The article flat-out says people on both sides are getting irritated, and that is easy to understand when the viewing plan keeps moving.

This is not the biggest story in the series, but it is the kind of detail that piles up. Playoff hockey already comes with enough tension without the league constantly moving the clock.

So yes, this is just a half-hour tweak on paper. In a tied series, with routines locked in and nerves already high, it lands bigger than that.

Previously

Easton Cowan just made a huge statement about Gavin McKenna and Leafs fans are buzzing

The Oilers may be focused on just one coaching candidate after latest Friedman report

The Canadiens are suddenly making drastic changes in the middle of the series

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1 HOUR AGO   |   86 ANSWERS Gary Bettman just made another controversial scheduling change involving the Canadiens Should the NHL stop changing start times in this Canadiens-Sabres series ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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