Hidden Game: Canadiens’ offence explodes for second consecutive game vs. Sabres

1 week ago 24

So much for trends.

Through nine playoff games, the Canadiens had followed a familiar pattern. Win one. Lose one. Win one. Lose one. In other words, they were due for a loss Sunday night.

Instead, following Montreal’s convincing 6-2 victory at the Bell Centre against Buffalo, it’s the Sabres who look like they’ve met their Waterloo and simply are no match for the Canadiens, who believe and are firing on all cylinders.

As for Buffalo, this is a team that appears on the edge of the precipice. How it responds in the fourth game of this series Tuesday night will speak volumes. Of course, Buffalo pro sports teams always seem to find a way to wet the bed.

Montreal Canadiens' Kirby Dach shoots the puck past Buffalo Sabres' Bowen Byram, goalie Alex Lyon and Peyton Krebs for a goal.

Why teams win (Part I): The Canadiens have exploded for 11 goals over their last two games.

Why teams win (Part II): Twelve Montreal players have scored at least one goal in the playoffs. That includes Brendan Gallagher, a healthy scratch the last three games. Of those players still seeking their first goal, the only one who can be considered conspicuous by his scoring drought is forward Ivan Demidov.

Random thought of the night (Part I): Only 10 more victories and the Canadiens are Stanley Cup champions.

Random thought of the night (Part II): Should the Canadiens eliminate Buffalo, they’ll meet Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. The Hurricanes are 8-0 in the playoffs.

News you need (Part I): This was Buffalo’s first road playoff defeat.

Montreal Canadiens' Juraj Slafkovsky deflects the puck past Buffalo Sabres' Alex Lyon.

Sieve of the night: Quite frankly, we were surprised when Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff stuck with goaltender Alex Lyon after he allowed five goals on Friday. The 33-year-old undrafted veteran is on his fifth team and appears to have hit the wall. He was beaten on the 12th, 19th, 23rd, 24th and 32nd shots he faced. He allowed two second-period goals in a span of 1:33. He also was beaten on just the third shot he faced in the third period — after failing to cover a loose puck. His save percentage was .861.

News you need (Part II): Going into this game, Lyon had a 3-0 road record, 1.00 average and .960 save percentage.

News you need (Part III): When a best-of-seven series is tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner has a 248-126 record — including 3-2 this season.

Montreal Canadiens' Jakub Dobes makes a save on a rebound attempt by Buffalo Sabres' Josh Norris.

The un-sieve: Jakub Dobes is quickly gaining cult status in Montreal. On Friday, he became the third Canadiens rookie goalie with at least five playoff victories, joining Patrick Roy and Carey Price. On Sunday, he faced 28 shots, including 20 over the final 40 minutes. He blanked Buffalo for the game’s final 25:14. His save percentage was .929.

Random thought of the night (Part III): Wasn’t Jacob Fowler, yet to play in the playoffs, supposed to be the Canadiens’ goalie of the future?

Great moments in officiating (Part I): Three players basically mugged Alex Newhook in the first period. When the dust settled, Newhook and Josh Doan received roughing minors.

Great moments in officiating (Part II): Later in the period, Zachary Bolduc was punched in the face by Conor Timmins. While the Buffalo defenceman was penalized, Bolduc received a double minor for roughing.

Great moments in officiating (Part III): A Phillip Danault goal in the second period was disallowed for pushing Lyon into the net. But from our vantage point, it was Tage Thompson who pushed Danault into Lyon.

Great moments in officiating (Part IV): Lane Hutson was called for interference on Beck Malenstyn in the third period. The high stick to the face Hutson received from Malenstyn went unpenalized.

Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson waves from the ice.

Memo to Gary Bettman: NHL officials are not “the best in the world,” as the myopic commissioner has frequently claimed. They might not even be better than CFL arbiters at this point, in our humble opinion.

Guess they only play quickly in Buffalo: The opening two games of this series were played in 2:27 and 2:33, respectively. But it was a different story on Sunday. This one took 2:49. That’s what happens when the officials lose control of the match. For those wondering, 80 penalty minutes — 42 to the visitors — were assessed.

Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield shoots the puck past Buffalo Sabres' Beck Malenstyn, Conor Timmins and goalie Alex Lyon for a goal.

Off the schneid (Part I): Yes, that was Cole Caufield, a 51-goal producer during the regular season, who finally scored his second playoff goal, six minutes into the second period. While Caufield has had numerous opportunities the last two games, he has yet to score at even-strength.

Off the schneid (Part II): Yes, that was Thompson, who produced 40 during the regular season, who opened the scoring on Buffalo’s first shot, after only 53 seconds. While it was Thompson’s third playoff goal, he hadn’t found the back of the net since the opening game of the first series, against Boston.

News you need (Part IV): Caufield failed to clear the puck out of the Canadiens’ zone on Thompson’s goal.

Pass of the night (Part I): Hutson to Caufield on the Canadiens’ second goal.

Pass of the night (Part II): Joe Veleno to Bolduc on the Canadiens’ third goal.

Montreal Canadiens' Zachary Bolduc scores a goal against Buffalo Sabres goalie Alex Lyon as Tage Thompson watches.

When the hockey gods are on your side: Montreal would have been called for icing in the third period — except the puck hit a broken stick.

We can read lips: After Kaiden Guhle was called for high-sticking on Josh Norris, he clearly could be seen on the scoreboard saying: “F— off.”

Optimistic much?: Ruff decided to pull Lyon for an extra skater with 5:30 remaining — and the visitors trailing 5-2.

Quick stats: Nick Suzuki, Newhook — who paced Montreal with two goals, including one into an empty net — Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach each had four shots. Veleno had five hits, while Newhook had four. Alexandre Carrier blocked four shots. Mike Matheson played 25:06, but Arber Xhekaj was limited to 7:10. The Canadiens won 62.3 per cent of their faceoffs and are killing Buffalo in that department. Montreal also outhit Buffalo, 25-21.

Montreal Canadiens' Alex Newhook congratulates goalie Jakub Dobes, joined by Jake Evans, Josh Anderson and Alex Carrier.

They said it: “We won,” Dobes said. “I’m excited for the next game. Usually it hits me a couple of days later, everything that’s happening. I feel pretty good.”

“I’m feeling good,” said Newhook, with a team-leading five goals. “We’re getting scoring from everyone. Contributions from everyone. I believe in myself. I’m trying to prove to myself and this team that I can help out and be a part of a winning team. That’s the only thing that’s on my mind. I believe in what I can be as a player. These big moments are what you play for. I’m just doing what I can to help the team.”

“You never want to give up a goal on the first shift, obviously,” Suzuki said. “But I was happy with the guys, continuing to push right after. We didn’t get fazed by it.”

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