A Game 1 Habs loss to the Sabres was a little too predictable

On Wednesday night, the Montreal Canadiens were in Buffalo to open their second round series against the Sabres. The result was a 4-2 loss.

Here are my notes from the game.

Buffalo dictated the pace and the Habs didn’t adjust.

That was the predictable part. Montreal needed every single minute of their seven game series to eliminate the Lightning, while Buffalo had an easier path and some time to rest and prepare. It was an uphill battle for the Habs to get their legs going early.

Add to that the reality of coming back down to earth from the emotional high to face a team that plays a completely different style. The Canadiens will be better than we saw in Game 1.

That was not Hutson’s finest performance.

After a brilliant first round series, Hutson was discombobulated in this one. It won’t last. He’ll be more determined than ever on Friday. I thought the D group as a whole struggled in this one. Hopefully they can recover.

It’s time to try Dach with Demidov.

That was a beautiful individual effort from Dach to score the second goal.

In the meanwhile, Demidov having Evans as his centreman is a crime. It’s time to put the two together and see if it works. Maybe they can create enough threat to buy the top line some space. Certainly, they need to find a way to get Caufield looking more like himself. At this point it’s fair to wonder if there is an injury he’s playing through.

Marty has until Friday to find a different mix and prepare his guys for the current opponent. Go Habs Go!