The Buffalo Sabres’ second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens has begun eerily similar to their first-round series against the Boston Bruins, but based on what we’ve seen thus far, it may not end the same way.
The Sabres were outplayed by Boston for most of Game 1 before waking up just in time and pulling off a stunning third-period rally to steal the victory, then played poorly and got worked over by the Bruins in losing Game 2.
Wednesday, Montreal had the better of the play for much of the night at KeyBank Center but the Sabres came out on top 4-2, and then in Game 2 Friday, the Canadiens completely dominated Buffalo and rolled to a 5-1 victory to even the series.
“We’re 1-1 right now,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told reporters after the game. “We’re pretty well in the same place we were in the last series. And I said before Game 1, this is going to be a very difficult series. They just beat a heck of a (Tampa Bay) team. We need to handle the puck better and put it in the right spot at the right time.”
Ruff is right, the series is even, but he also hit on the key difference: Montreal is much better than Boston. The Sabres were clearly the more talented team in the first round and it showed when they went into Boston and had their way in Games 3 and 4 to grab firm control.
This time, they are not more talented than their opponent; at best they’re even, and going into Montreal and dealing with that incredible atmosphere at the Bell Centre is going to be a titanic test, and you have to wonder if this young postseason newbie team will be able to answer the way it did against Boston.
“Tomorrow’s a big day,” Rasmus Dahlin said of the upcoming practice before they fly to Montreal for Sunday’s Game 3. “We got some things we got to talk about. This one was unacceptable.”
Here are my observations:
What is happening with Tage Thompson?
The Sabres’ leading goal scorer in the regular season netted two massive goals to start Buffalo’s comeback victory in Game 1 of the Boston series, but he hasn’t scored a goal since.
At least against the Bruins his drought didn’t cost the Sabres because he still managed five assists and drew enough attention from the Bruins’ defense to free up his teammates. But in the first two games against the Canadiens, there’s a case to be made that Thompson has been Buffalo’s worst player, at least based on expectation. It has been incredible to watch.
In more than 37 combined minutes of ice time he has registered just one shot on goal, has no points, and in the Game 2 debacle he was on the ice for four of Montreal’s five goals, and he may as well have been given an assist on Montreal’s soul-crushing fourth goal early in the third period.
Thompson lost his balance in the offensive zone and turned the puck over to Alexandre Carrier, sending the Canadiens away for a 2-on-1 break. Carrier took it the distance as defenseman Owen Power stayed neutral, opting to take away the pass, and beat Alex Lyon over his left shoulder for the goal that put the game out of reach 3:54 into the third.
“Just lost my balance,” Thompson told reporters after the game. “I was caught in between decisions on what I was going to do with the puck, lost my edge and it ends up in the back of our net. When you try to chase the game, you try to force plays that aren’t there. Just wasn’t executing. I think everything I touched turned into disaster tonight. Tough one. Gotta be better. It’s as simple as that. Just flush that one and move on.”
Thompson was asked if he’s playing injured and his response set off alarms. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” That answer seemed like a clear indication that yes, he’s dealing with something, he’s trying to play through it, and he’s not succeeding.
Whether you believe it or not, faceoffs matter
The Sabres continue to be overwhelmed at the dot, and in losing 30 of 53 draws, one in particular was critical.
With Buffalo already down 1-0, Ryan McLeod was beaten clean on a defensive zone faceoff by Phillip Danault who drew the puck cleanly back to the left point to Mike Matheson. He moved to his right and fired a wrist shot that beat Lyon over his blocker, a shot Lyon should have stopped, to put Montreal up 2-0 just 4:27 into the game. Again, he wouldn’t have had to make a save had McLeod – who lost 73.7% of his draws – won that one.
The Sabres have to get Sam Carrick back for Game 3 because the trade deadline acquisition is far and away the Sabres’ best faceoff man. He has been sidelined five weeks with an arm injury, but Ruff said before Game 2 that if this was Game 7, Carrick would be in the lineup.
Well, having now lost 62 of 104 faceoffs in the first two games, Ruff can’t wait any longer. Carrick has to go in on the fourth line with Beck Malenstyn and Jordan Greenway, and Tyson Kozak likely comes out.
Faceoff struggles weren’t the only problem, though. The Sabres were sloppy in every phase as they failed to complete passes, they mishandled the puck and were charged with 13 giveaways, they were not quick to the puck and thus lost far too many possession battles, and they were back to being terrible on the power play, 0-for-5.
“I think three or four of the goals were just the result of bad puck play,” Ruff said. “You can’t beat yourself. We beat ourselves, and we know we have to be better. We said after Game 1, it’s my job to make sure we get our minds in the right place. And I think we could have made a big difference on four of their goals at least.”
If only the Sabres had more Zach Bensons
The 20-year-old has been the Sabres’ best player, probably for the last five games but certainly in both games in this series. He scored Buffalo’s only goal, and if ever a player deserved to score a goal, it was Benson on that shift.
With Buffalo down 3-0, Benson single-handedly gave the Sabres hope going into the third period when he scored with 37.2 seconds remaining in the second. He was maniacal below the goal line, twice stealing the puck before centering to Rasmus Dahlin who had a great chance from the left circle turned aside by Montreal goalie Jakub Dobes.
The rebound came out high to Josh Doan who fired a shot that was blocked with the puck coming right back to Doan who quickly steered it to Connor Timmins at the right point. He moved in and saw Benson stationed at the left post and set him up perfectly for a re-direct on which Dobes had no chance.
What was unfortunate is that the Sabres were pushing late in the second before the Benson goal, but the clock then ran out and the momentum they had gained went to die in the locker room as the Canadiens got the chance to calm down and regroup.
Deservedly, Benson’s 19:25 of ice time was second-highest among Buffalo’s forwards and his line with Doan and Josh Norris was again the Sabres’ best threesome, with the caveat that Norris has not played particularly well individually.
Jakub Dobes outplayed Alex Lyon
It was the complete opposite of Game 1 when Dobes allowed four goals on just 16 shots while Lyon stopped 25 of 26. In Game 2, Dobes was outstanding in making 27 saves while Lyon let in two goals in the first 4:27, digging a hole the Sabres could not escape.
The first goal, by Alex Newhook, was terrible, a shot that Lyon saw all the way yet allowed it to sneak through his right arm. The Matheson goal was nearly as bad and on Newhook’s second goal that made it 3-0, Dahlin did a poor job reading the play and tying him up – which admitted afterward – as Jake Evans passed the puck to the crease, but Lyon was also at fault as he was late getting his right pad over to the post.
Dobes has been excellent in this postseason coming off a loss. He’s now 4-0 with a 1.49 goals-against and a .946 save percentage, a big reason why the Canadiens have not lost back-to-back game since mid-March.
“We’ve learned a lot from last year, and I think we’ve grown,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “Even Game 1, we lose the game … the game didn’t really get away from us. We were still in it, and we did things better tonight. Doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything, but we raised the percentage to go get success. I’m proud of the response.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: 4 things that stood out in Sabres lopsided loss to Canadiens
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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