For the first time in the playoffs, the Montreal Canadiens were coming off consecutive wins and had a great chance on Tuesday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, just like the prior series against the Lightning, the Canadiens would lose Game 4 on their home ice, and the series is now tied at two games apiece.
While it wasn't the result they wanted, there were still some positive performances from the game while there are a few some players who will be looking to bounce back in Game 5.
Winner: Alex Newhook
Another game, another goal for Alex Newhook as he has continued to be a crucial part of the Canadiens' success in these playoffs. He would score the Canadiens' first goal in this game, which tied it up at one, and it was his third straight game with a goal.
Newhook now has five goals in the past three games and six in total for the playoffs. He is currently leading the Canadiens and is tied for fifth in the NHL in the category.
Winner: Cole Caufield
The Canadiens got only one power play goal on seven opportunities, but that goal was by Cole Caufield, who looks to finally be heating up in these playoffs. It is now his second straight game with a goal, and he is looking more confident with the puck and taking his shots when they present themselves.
While Caufield is still looking for his first goal of these playoffs in 5v5 situations, the fact that he is getting these looks in the power play should help. The Canadiens should consider themselves fortunate that they have been able to get to this point of the playoffs with limited contributions by Caufield, but if he can build on the momentum, they have to like their chances getting past the Sabres.
Loser: Jake Evans
Jake Evans did have the primary assist on Alex Newhook's goal, but he really struggled in the faceoff circle. It was one of the reasons that the Sabres were able to win the faceoff battle for the first time in the series. In a game that is this tightly contested, faceoffs are something small that could make a big difference in the outcome.
In Game 4, Evans would win only five of 13 faceoffs and, over the past two games, has a faceoff win percentage of 40.9%. This is a significant drop compared to his faceoff win percentage of 63.7% over the first nine playoff games this season.
Loser: Penalty Kill
When looking at this game, the Canadiens' special teams collectively probably could have been listed here. They did have seven power play chances and only converted one, but they did have some excellent looks and didn't score because of incredible saves by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens' penalty kill might be a bit of a bigger concern, and it is an issue that goes beyond just this game. Entering the series, the Sabres' power play was horrendous, with only one power play goal in 46 chances.
However, they have now scored five power play goals on 16 chances for a power play percentage of 31.3%. In Game 4, that was the deciding factor with the Sabres scoring two on the man advantage in four chances.
One of those goals certainly can be attributed to bad luck, as Tage Thompson just dumped the puck into the corner on a zone entry and took a weird bounce to end up behind Jakub Dobes in the net.
The other was a good play by Josh Doan and Zach Benson that resulted in a goal, and that goal should raise concerns with the penalty kill when taking into account the entire series. It is something the Canadiens are going to need to clean up as the series now heads to Buffalo.
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