On Wednesday night, the second round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres will get underway at Keybank Center in downtown Buffalo. The Canadiens made it to this series after eliminating the Veteran Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Buffalo Sabres took the easier route through the Boston Bruins.
Here are five keys to a Montreal series victory.
The Canadiens find their legs fast.
Buffalo has been resting and practicing while Montreal has been in an absolute battle to get past Tampa. One team will have more energy than the other to start the series, and a Game 1 blowout would not be shocking.
To counter that, Martin St. Louis might choose to ice some rested legs, perhaps starting Kapanen or Veleno over Gallagher. If someone is banged up, dipping into their depth might be wise for Game 1.
The coach finds the trio to shut down Buffalo’s top line.
Phil Danault had a strong first round, effectively shutting guys down regardless of who was on his trio on a given night.
The line of Thompson, Krebs and Tuch was incredibly dangerous for Buffalo in the first round. St. Louis will need to find a way to contain them, and that may be a Danault assignment or a top line versus top line matchup. With the series starting in Buffalo, Lindy Ruff may be the one making that call early.
The Habs top line emerges.
In the first round, the Suzuki line confronted the Cirelli line, night after night. The Habs are hoping for a more favourable matchup and increased production from their best players.
The Habs power play gets going.
The first game of the first round was won on the power play. After that, the Montreal power play completely dried up. It seems unlikely that the series against Buffalo will be as low scoring, so the Canadiens need to maximize the man advantage. If the first wave wants to be as predictable as it was against Tampa, it might be time to shake things up.
Montreal’s goalie duo outplays Buffalo’s.
If you had told Habs fans in October that Dobes would win out over Vasilevskiy in the post-season, you’d have been laughed out of the discussion. The opponent in the second round is not as daunting, perhaps. The Sabres have used two guys all season much like the Habs. This is one area where the Habs should come out on top, and Dobes can’t nix that.
Puck drop is hours away and this promises to be a great series. Go Habs Go!
Hab At Her 