Buffalo Sabres (5-3) at Montreal Canadiens (5-4)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM | Bell Centre | Montreal, Québec
TV: ESPN
Radio: WGR 550
Know Your Opponent
Montreal Canadiens
Record: 48-24-10 | 106 PTS
Division Ranking: 3rd in Atlantic Division
Last Game: 5-1 Win vs Sabres
PP: 18.2% | Sabres 9.4%
PK: 81.1% | Sabres 87.0%
What to Watch
1. Quiet the Crowd
Buffalo goes on the road for the first time in this series, and the building will be rocking just as much as KeyBank Center. The Bell Centre is known to be a tough place for road teams, but the Sabres have done well on the road this season. Buffalo is 20-4-2 on the road since December 9th and won all three games in Boston in round 1. A quick start would make their lives easier by taking some of the enthusiasm out of the crowd. It would take a blowout to quiet them completely, but Buffalo could take down the crowd noise a couple notches with a couple of first period goals.
2. Carrick Returns
The long-awaited return of Sam Carrick is finally here. He fit right in after being acquired at the deadline and has been surely missed on the 4th line. His faceoff prowess alone makes him a key playoff contributor, but he’s shown to be an offensive threat in a Sabre uniform. He scored 5 goals in his first 8 games for Buffalo and significantly elevated the 4th line’s effectiveness. Depth is king during the playoffs and Carrick is a huge addition heading into Montreal. Look for a big game out of the 4th line tonight.
3. Attack the Net
Unfortunately for Buffalo, Dobeš rebounded in game 2 and looked more like the goaltender that frustrated Tampa Bay’s snipers. He also added to his growing reputation as the Jordan Binnington of the East with his hacks, chirping, and post-whistle blocker usage. Kucherov tried getting under his skin in round 1 but Dobeš has, so far, tended to play better when he’s engaged in the physical side of games. With that said, he’s still a young, relatively inexperience goaltender. Buffalo should do everything they can to make his life miserable in his crease. If more players follow Benson’s lead in front of the net, they could take Dobeš’ attention away from stopping pucks. The Sabres must exploit any advantage they can find to regain the series lead.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Krebs – Thompson – Tuch
Benson – Norris – Doan
Zucker – McLeod – Quinn
Greenway – Carrick – Malenstyn
Defense
Samuelsson – Dahlin
Byram – Power
Stanley – Timmins
Starter: Lyon
Montreal Canadiens
Forwards
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Evans –Demidov
Texier – Danault – Anderson
Bolduc – Veleno – Dach
Defense:
Matheson – Carrier
Hutson – Guhle
Xhekaj – Dobson
Starter: Dobeš