On Saturday night the Montreal Canadiens received the Buffalo Sabres at the Bell Centre with the opportunity to eliminate them in Game 6. The result was an 8-3 loss for the Habs.
Here are my very brief notes from the game.
It’s hard to have less killer instinct than that.
From whatever that was that happened to Slafkovsky on the opening goal to the one that mysteriously got through Fowler at the end, there was only a very brief window in the first period where it looked like the Habs could take over this game.
The killer instinct is not there.
Whether that is something they have not yet had a chance to learn, or if it is a product of exhaustion is not clear. What is clear is that they have not yet developed that skill of smelling blood in the water and being able to find another level on their predator drive.
They do look tanked. Dobes has not looked sharp for a couple of games and we have to remember he is a rookie who has never played this much hockey with this much pressure.
Can they bounce forward this time?
In the post-game presser, Martin St. Louis talked about bouncing forward, as opposed to the old expression of bouncing back… landing somewhere different and presumably better than anywhere you were previously.
The young Habs have been very good at that, avoiding back-to-back losses. Can they do it again after a devastating 8-3 loss with an opportunity to clinch the series on home ice? I confess I have my doubts, but I very much want to be wrong.
Go Habs Go!
Hab At Her 