The Sabres leave Montreal with a second crack at the Canadiens, and the homework from Tuesday is pretty clear: create more at 5-on-5, clean up the looks against Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and find a way to tilt the special teams battle.
That first meeting had plenty of swing in it. Montreal built a 3-1 lead, Buffalo clawed back with two goals in the third period to send it to overtime, then came up short in the shootout. The Canadiens scored on all three of their attempts, while the Sabres managed only one, and Buffalo settled for a single point.
If the Sabres want more than that this time around, they have to start by making life harder on Montreal at even strength. Buffalo finished Tuesday’s game with just 13 5v5 scoring chances, which was a season-low. They had only four through the first two periods, and that’s not a recipe that travels well.
A big part of the burden falls on Tage Thompson and Jack Quinn. They lead the Sabres with 22 and 16 5v5 scoring chances, respectively, but against Montreal they combined for just one, according to Natural Stat Trick. In a game where Buffalo is already without Rasmus Dahlin, that kind of quiet night from those two makes it tough to keep pace.
The other issue sits in goal. The shootout made it plain that Montreal had a read on Luukkonen, and they used it.
All three Canadiens shooters approached from his left side, with the first two beating him far post on the blocker side. Zachary Bolduc looked set to do the same before sliding the puck through the five hole.
That kind of success can stick in a team’s mind, and it would not be a surprise if Montreal keeps aiming for that same opening. The Canadiens appeared to find a soft spot and may keep testing it Saturday night.
Then there’s the special teams. Neither club has exactly set the league on fire early on.
The Sabres and Canadiens are tied for the fifth-fewest power-play goals with three apiece, though Montreal has been slightly better in percentage terms. Buffalo’s penalty kill sits 29th at 61.5%, while Montreal is 17th at 80%.
The Canadiens’ penalty kill looked strong in the first meeting, too, because they erased five Buffalo power plays. That’s part of why the Sabres are still chasing a cleaner edge in this area. But with both teams carrying their own issues into the rematch, this is one spot where Buffalo can still seize control.
If the Sabres can generate more chances, keep Thompson and Quinn involved, and avoid letting Montreal dictate the special teams script again, they give themselves a real shot at leaving Montreal with two points instead of one.
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