{"id":653144,"date":"2026-05-07T06:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/653144\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T06:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T06:11:15","slug":"hidden-game-slow-start-plagues-canadiens-in-opener-against-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/653144\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden Game: Slow start plagues Canadiens in opener against Sabres"},"content":{"rendered":"

Toto \u2026 we\u2019re not in Kansas anymore.<\/p>\n

Give the Canadiens full credit for staging an upset in the opening round<\/a> of the Stanley Cup playoffs against Tampa Bay. But the Buffalo Sabres are not the Lightning. And KeyBank Center is not Benchmark International Arena. This is Upstate New York. Not western Florida.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s only one game, and one game does not make a series. Until a team loses at home, it\u2019s not in any danger. But for everyone who was going euphoric over the Canadiens\u2019 first-round playoff victory \u2014\u00a0most everyone in Montreal, last time we looked \u2014\u00a0let\u2019s not forget that it took seven hard-fought games.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

And following Wednesday night\u2019s 4-2 defeat against Buffalo in the opener of this second-round series, the Canadiens are a mediocre and pedestrian 4-4 team. And a .500 record during the regular season wouldn\u2019t have qualified for the playoffs, where the intensity is magnified.<\/p>\n

Win Friday night\u2019s second game, and the Canadiens have a legitimate shot. Lose and fall into a 2-0 hole? Good luck with that.<\/p>\n

Eight is enough: Given his legerdemain against Tampa Bay, we will avoid using any derogatory term against Jakub Dobes<\/a>. The Canadiens wouldn\u2019t have defeated the Lightning were it not for the rookie goaltender. Dobes was playing his eighth consecutive postseason game, and he faced some Grade-A scoring opportunities in which he had little, if any, chance. But Dobes failed to make critical saves that might have stopped the bleeding on yet another night where he was required to stand on his head. Four goals against on nine shots won\u2019t ever suffice \u2014\u00a0at any level of the game and certainly not the NHL. His save percentage against Buffalo was .750. We suspect this was a blip on the radar and Dobes will bounce back. Otherwise, this will be a short series.<\/p>\n

\"BuffaloBuffalo Sabres right winger Josh Doan (91) celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL Stanley Cup second round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens at the KeyBank Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Harry Scull Jr. \/ Buffalo News<\/p>\n

Strange, but true (Part I): Dobes\u2019s save percentage was .961 over the final three games against Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

We still don\u2019t understand: We thought it was bizarre when the Canadiens spent Monday in Tampa, then practised Tuesday in Florida before taking close to a three-hour flight \u2014\u00a0the day before a playoff game \u2014 to Buffalo. Why didn\u2019t they travel on Monday, practice Tuesday and then relax?<\/p>\n

Our random thought of the night: Maybe 5-foot-8, 175-pound Cole Caufield<\/a> simply isn\u2019t cut out for the playoffs? We know that\u2019s harsh, but Caufield remains stuck on one power-play goal through eight games. He had a glorious opportunity in the opening seconds of the third period, but failed to convert.<\/p>\n

It was like pond hockey: The Canadiens are the youngest team remaining in the playoffs and, of course, the NHL. The Sabres are the second-youngest. Both teams can skate. Both teams play with pace. This game was played in a cool two hours and 27 minutes. They should all go this quickly. Your children, who have school in the morning, thank you.<\/p>\n

How\u2019s that for gratitude (Part I): Brendan Gallagher, who turned 34 on Wednesday, was a healthy scratch after playing three straight games.<\/p>\n

How\u2019s that for gratitude (Part II): Joe Veleno dressed for the first time. The game marked his postseason debut following six seasons.<\/p>\n

Strange, but true (Part II): The Sabres\u2019 power play went 1-for-46 in April. That included 1-for-24 in its six-game opening-round conquest over Boston. But on this night Buffalo connected on two of three manpower advantages. It was like watching Gilbert Perreault, Ren\u00e9 Robert and Rick Martin all over again. Kids, ask your grandfathers to explain.<\/p>\n

How not to start a playoff series (Part I): Lane Hutson took a delayed tripping penalty after only 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

How not to start a playoff series (Part II): In the game\u2019s fifth minute, Hutson walked in from the point \u2014\u00a0and hit the crossbar after goalie Alex Lyon got a piece of the shot.<\/p>\n

How not to start a playoff series (Part III): Hutson blew a tire, resulting in a three-on-one break \u2014\u00a0and Buffalo\u2019s opening goal, by Josh Doan.<\/p>\n

\"BuffaloBuffalo Sabres right-winger Josh Doan (91) celebrates his goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL Stanley Cup second round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens at the KeyBank Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Harry Scull Jr. \/ Buffalo News<\/p>\n

News you need: The Canadiens hadn\u2019t allowed a first-period goal since the third game of the Tampa Bay series.<\/p>\n

Why stop at one?: Ryan McLeod increased the Sabres\u2019 lead to two goals in the game\u2019s 14th minute. It marked the first time in the playoffs Montreal has trailed by two.<\/p>\n

Game of inches (Part I): Jake Evans hit the post in the game\u2019s 18th minute, while on a two-on-one break with Alex Newhook.<\/p>\n

Pass of the night: Juraj Slafkovsky to Nick Suzuki<\/a> on the Canadiens\u2019 opening goal, late in the first period.<\/p>\n

Go figure: Jordan Greenway, a 6-foot-6, 231-pound fourth-line winger, scored one goal in 40 games this season. He scored his first goal since Nov. 13 early in the second period, restoring Buffalo\u2019s two-goal lead. It was that kind of a night.<\/p>\n

\"BuffaloBuffalo Sabres left wing Jordan Greenway (12) celebrates his goal with fans in the second period of the first game against the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Joed Viera \/ Buffalo News<\/p>\n

Game of inches (Part II): Both Jack Quinn and Rasmus Dahlin struck iron in the second period.<\/p>\n

Best goal while falling down: Kirby Dach<\/a> in the second period.<\/p>\n

Best solo effort of the night: Dach.<\/p>\n

\"BuffaloBuffalo Sabres centre Peyton Krebs (19) battles for a loose puck with Montreal Canadiens centre Kirby Dach (77) during the first period of Game 1 of an NHL Stanley Cup second round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens at the KeyBank Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. Harry Scull Jr. \/ Buffalo News<\/p>\n

Game of inches (Part III): Quinn hit the post in the third period.<\/p>\n

Strange, but true (Part III): Buffalo had one third-period shot.<\/p>\n

Quick stats: Veleno and Zachary Bolduc both had five hits despite playing only 8:33 and 8:53, respectively. Hutson had five shots while playing 26:42. Slafkovsky had four shots. Arber Xhekaj had three hits in only 7:42. The Canadiens won 62.7 per cent of their faceoffs and outhit Buffalo 31-27.<\/p>\n

They said it: \u201cI\u2019m confident that we can play any style,\u201d head coach Martin St. Louis said in Buffalo. \u201cI\u2019m confident we can play the game that\u2019s in front of us. I\u2019m confident we can learn from this one and be better. I liked that we battled. It wasn\u2019t the start that we wanted in the game or the series. But we\u2019re going to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the most part in the third period we found our footing and found our game,\u201d Dach said. \u201cFor us it\u2019s about finding a way to get to our game early and stick with it through the whole 60 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Toto \u2026 we\u2019re not in Kansas anymore. Give the Canadiens full credit for staging an upset in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":653145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-653144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=653144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/653144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/653145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=653144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=653144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=653144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}