The Montreal Canadiens needed all seven games, including a road win in Game 7, to get past the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs last season. The two teams are set to meet once again early in this season with the first of two games this week.
Neither team are off to a relatively great start with the Canadiens 2-2-1 and the Sabres at 3-3 but both are probably coming off their best games of the season. The Canadiens needed regulation, overtime and a shootout to secure a 1-0 lead over the Detroit Red Wings while the Buffalo Sabres won 5-3 over the Florida Panthers on Monday afternoon.
When looking ahead to this matchup, these are three players for the Montreal Canadiens who were big reasons why they advanced past the Sabres in the playoffs and will need to have big performances.
Jakub Dobes
With the Canadiens having a back-to-back and a road game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, there isn't a guarantee that Dobes will get the start in this one. Martin St. Louis might elect to have Jacob Fowler play in front of the home crowd while the more experienced Dobes gets the start on the road.
However, if Dobes does get the start, he will be looking to pick up right where he left off from the playoff series. He wasn't perfect by any means, as he gave up four goals in Game 1 and six goals in Game 6, but for the majority of that series he was really good as he allowed three or fewer goals in the other five starts he made.
Dobes has struggled a bit to begin this season as he is 1-1-1 with a save percentage of .856 and a goals against average of 4.43. When considering Jacob Fowler has looked great in his two starts, the pressure seems to be mounting and a big win over Buffalo could help Dobes.
Alex Newhook
With Oliver Kapanen unavailable due to injury, it has been Alex Newhook at center on the Canadiens' second line. He has played well in this spot and has had a point in two of the past three games.
In the playoffs, Newhook was one of the best players on the ice for either team in the series against the Buffalo Sabres. He finished the series with six goals and one assist, including the series-clinching goal in overtime of Game 7.
With all the injuries the Canadiens are dealing with among their forwards, like Kapanen and Ivan Demidov, they are going to need other players to step up. If Newhook plays as he did in the playoffs against Buffalo, he certainly could help fill that void.
Lane Hutson
Lane Hutson was another player who had an incredible series against the Buffalo Sabres with eight assists in seven games while averaging close to 25 minutes of ice time per game.
The Canadiens' blueline collectively looked much better against the Detroit Red Wings, arguably their best game of the season, and it was due in part to the return of Kaiden Guhle. With him back, the Canadiens were able to pair Hutson and Dobson together for really the first time this season.
The Buffalo Sabres are going to be without their top defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, after he suffered an injury against the Florida Panthers on Monday. Lane Hutson has a chance to be the best defenseman on the ice and be a difference-maker for the Canadiens.
Add us as a preferred source on Google