The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are meeting again early in the season, and the rematch arrives with a little playoff memory still hanging in the air.
These teams went seven games deep last spring before Montreal finally got through, finishing the job with a road win in Game 7. Now they’ll open a two-game set this week, with both clubs sitting at 2-2-1 and 3-3, respectively, and both coming off what looked like their best showings so far. Montreal needed regulation, overtime and a shootout to edge the Detroit Red Wings 1-0, while Buffalo rolled past the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Monday afternoon.
If the Canadiens are going to handle the Sabres again, three familiar names could be central to the outcome.
Jakub Dobes is one of them, though his workload isn’t a sure thing because Montreal is in the middle of a back-to-back and has a road game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Martin St.
Louis may choose to give Jacob Fowler the home start and save the more experienced Dobes for later. But if Dobes gets the nod, the Canadiens will be looking for the version they saw in that playoff series.
He wasn’t spotless in the postseason run against Buffalo - he allowed four goals in Game 1 and six in Game 6 - but he was solid for most of the series, giving up three goals or fewer in the other five starts he made. That matters because Dobes hasn’t been sharp to start this season.
He’s 1-1-1 with a .856 save percentage and a 4.43 goals-against average. With Fowler performing well in his two starts, the heat is on, and a strong night against Buffalo would go a long way for Dobes.
Alex Newhook has also been asked to carry more weight up the middle with Oliver Kapanen out injured. He’s been handling that job on the second line and has recorded a point in two of the last three games.
The playoff version of Newhook, though, was on another level entirely. Against the Sabres, he posted six goals and one assist and buried the series-clinching goal in overtime of Game 7.
Given the injury situation Montreal is dealing with among its forwards, including Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, the Canadiens need someone else to provide offense. Newhook already showed he can do that against this opponent.
Then there’s Lane Hutson, who was a major problem for Buffalo in the playoff series. He racked up eight assists in seven games while logging nearly 25 minutes a night.
Montreal’s blue line, as a group, looked much sharper against Detroit, which was easily one of the team’s best defensive efforts of the season, and Kaiden Guhle’s return played a part in that. With Guhle back, the Canadiens were able to pair Hutson and Dobson together for really the first time this season.
Buffalo now has to deal with that without Rasmus Dahlin, who was injured against Florida on Monday. That opens the door for Hutson to be the top defenseman on the ice and potentially swing the game in Montreal’s favor.
In Other News...
Canadiens Blue Line Suddenly Puts David Reinbacher In Focus
A thinning blue line has suddenly pushed David Reinbacher into the conversation in Montreal. The Canadiens recalled the young defenseman from the Laval Rocket after Mike Matheson went down injured, leaving the club with only six healthy blueliners as it gets ready for a matchup with the Washington Capitals.
Reinbachers arrival adds intrigue to a situation the Canadiens did not have much time to manage, but his actual role is still unsettled. Montreal has not yet confirmed whether he will make his debut against Washington or where he would slot in if he does, which leaves the club balancing immediate need with a more cautious look at how it wants to deploy him. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Interest In Dylan Larkin Comes Down To One Big Thing
Dylan Larkins situation in Detroit remains one of the more closely watched storylines around the league, and it has obvious appeal for a Canadiens front office still looking for a meaningful swing. He has not rescinded his trade request from the Red Wings and is still interested in being moved this season, while his no-movement clause gives him control over where this goes next. Reports have him open to about ten teams, a group that includes several contenders and a few clubs with clear cap space or roster flexibility.
Montreal has shown serious interest, which makes sense for a team that would love to add a player of Larkins caliber if the opportunity ever materializes. The catch is simple: he is not currently open to playing there, even though the Canadiens are said to be willing to put together a significant offer if that stance changes. For now, it is less a full-blown pursuit than a waiting game, with Montreal keeping tabs on a possibility that may depend on one big shift in Larkins thinking. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens May Be Fixing The Problem That Hurt Them Most
After a shaky start to the season in one of the areas that had hurt them most, the Canadiens are at least showing signs of a fix on the penalty kill. Against Buffalo, Montreal protected a 3-1 lead long enough to survive a Sabres push and eventually win in a shootout, but the more encouraging part came when the game turned chippy and special teams became a factor.
Montreals penalty killers handled every Buffalo man advantage in the game, and the recent trend now matters as much as the result itself. The Canadiens have strung together a run of successful kills over their last two games, a welcome answer after early-season trouble with power-play goals against had put extra pressure on the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]