Welcome back to the second round, Buffalo. The Sabres are officially gearing up for a high-stakes Atlantic Division showdown against the Montreal Canadiens.
It has been nearly three decades since these two historic franchises crossed paths in the postseason. You have to look back to the spring of 1998 for their last playoff encounter, a series that ended in a four-game Buffalo sweep. Now, the rivalry is completely renewed, promising plenty of fast-paced fireworks starting Wednesday night at KeyBank Center.
How Montreal Survived Round One
The Canadiens punched their ticket to Buffalo in incredibly dramatic fashion on Sunday night. Facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in a grueling Game 7 on the road, Montreal managed to secure a tight one-goal victory to advance.
The most astonishing part is exactly how they accomplished it. Montreal registered a meager four shots on net through the opening two periods. In fact, they failed to record a single shot throughout the entirety of the second period, setting a strange franchise playoff record in the process. Nevertheless, Alex Newhook found the back of the net in the third period to seal the win and set up this highly anticipated second-round tilt.
A Dead-Even Regular Season Series
If the regular season is any indicator, hockey fans are in for a tight, back-and-forth battle. The Sabres and Canadiens split their four meetings evenly this year, scoring exactly 13 goals apiece across the series.
Three of those physical contests took place in January while both clubs were heavily jockeying for playoff positioning. Tage Thompson paced the Buffalo offense during those matchups, delivering a dominant hat-trick performance in mid-January. Conversely, Montreal captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield gave the Sabres plenty of headaches, with Caufield netting five goals across the four meetings.
The Goaltending Duel
Both clubs enter the second round riding hot goaltenders who unexpectedly stole the spotlight in round one.
After starting the Boston series with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo turned to Alex Lyon to carry the load. He responded brilliantly, locking down the crease with stellar numbers and earning three crucial victories.
On the other end of the ice, Jakub Dobes was an absolute wall against Tampa Bay, especially during that lopsided Game 7 where Montreal was heavily outshot. Dobes also boasts an undefeated career record against Buffalo, making him a formidable obstacle for the Sabres’ top point-producers. Both netminders are stepping into uncharted territory regarding deep playoff runs, meaning this series could easily be decided by whoever blinks first.
Youth, Speed, and Special Teams
Unlike the defensive gridlock of the Boston series, this matchup should feature a much wider, faster pace. These are two of the youngest, most highly-skilled rosters in the National Hockey League.
Buffalo will rely heavily on the tenacious board work of youngsters like Zach Benson and Josh Doan, who were both instrumental in finishing off the Bruins. Meanwhile, Montreal boasts intense young talent like Juraj Slafkovsky, who already has three goals this postseason. Defensively, fans will be treated to a showcase between two of the league’s most electric puck-moving defensemen in Rasmus Dahlin and Lane Hutson.
Furthermore, Buffalo absolutely must find a way to spark their power play. Producing only one goal on the man advantage will simply not cut it against a Montreal squad that found plenty of power-play success in their first-round series.
The Home Ice Dynamic
As the Atlantic Division champions, Buffalo holds home-ice advantage. However, home ice was a strange concept for both of these squads in round one. Interestingly, both teams actually possessed losing records in their own buildings while dominating on the road.
Additionally, Montreal fans are known for traveling exceptionally well. The last time these two teams met at KeyBank Center, there was a noticeable amount of red in the stands. Because most tickets for this round are already secured by season-ticket holders, the crowd should heavily favor the blue and gold. Sabres fans will need to bring the same deafening energy they brought in round one to truly capitalize on the home-ice edge.
Series Schedule
- Game 1: Wednesday, May 6 at 7 p.m. | KeyBank Center
- Game 2: Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. | KeyBank Center
- Game 3: Sunday, May 10 at 7 p.m. | Bell Centre
- Game 4: Tuesday, May 12, Time TBD | Bell Centre
- Game 5 (If necessary): Thursday, May 14, Time TBD | KeyBank Center
- Game 6 (If necessary): Saturday, May 16, Time TBD | Bell Centre
- Game 7 (If necessary): Monday, May 18, Time TBD | KeyBank Center
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