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Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod netted goals during successive power-play chances, revitalizing Buffalo’s struggling special teams, as the Sabres triumphed over the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the opening match of their second-round postseason series on Wednesday evening.
Josh Doan and Jordan Greenway contributed additional scores for Buffalo, marking their initial presence in the second round since 2007, and their first participation in this stage in a decade and a half. Alex Lyon successfully blocked 26 shots, enhancing his record to 4-1 since assuming the primary goaltending role in the third game against Boston, Buffalo’s first-round adversary.
Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach registered points for Montreal, who seemed to struggle to gain momentum three days following their Game 7 victory over Tampa Bay in their initial playoff series. Jakub Dobes completed the game with 12 saves, conceding four goals after previously permitting a total of two across Games 6 and 7 against the Lightning.
Montreal has not managed to secure back-to-back playoff victories throughout the current postseason, having just concluded a series where every one of the seven contests was determined by a single goal, with four extending into overtime.
Buffalo will be the venue for Game 2 on Friday night, prior to the series moving to Montreal on Sunday.
The Sabres possessed a greater level of rest, benefiting from a four-day break following their 4-1 triumph over Boston in Game 6 on Friday.
Doan initiated the scoring at 4:31 into the game by successfully converting Zach Benson’s pass, culminating a 2-on-1 rush after Montreal blueliner Lane Hutson stumbled and relinquished possession of the puck directly in front of his team’s bench.
McLeod extended the lead to 2-0 by putting Benson’s pass into the net from across the crease during Buffalo’s second power-play chance, 13:26 into the initial period. Byram then found the net on the subsequent opportunity, firing a shot from the area between the face-off circles to give Buffalo a 4-1 advantage halfway through the second frame.
Byram’s goal marked his fourth, tying the Sabres’ team postseason record for defensemen, putting him alongside Mike Ramsey (1988), Jason Woolley, and Alexei Zhitnik, each of whom also recorded four goals in 1999.
Buffalo successfully capitalized on 2 out of 3 power-play opportunities, injecting renewed vitality into a special teams unit that had previously managed only 1 goal from 24 attempts against Boston. The Sabres’ 4.2 percent success rate placed them in a tie for 865th among 897 teams that had 20 or more man-advantage chances in a playoff series since 1978.
Furthermore, Buffalo’s struggles on the man-advantage had extended from their last seven regular-season matches, during which the squad failed to score on all 22 attempts.
Following their victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in a closely contested initial round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens are set to confront the Buffalo Sabres.
The condition of Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin requires attention after he departed the ice with a limp, appearing to favor his right leg, with less than three minutes remaining subsequent to blocking a shot from Jake Evans.
Dahlin momentarily proceeded through the tunnel, prior to his return to the bench, though he did not participate in any additional play.
Dach notched the most impressive goal of the game, narrowing Buffalo’s advantage to 4-2 with 3:29 remaining in the second period. Advancing along the right wing, Dach’s pass toward the center was intercepted by Lyon’s stick. The puck rebounded to Dach, who, even as he was falling, managed to elevate it over the goaltender’s glove.
