After an impressive Game 7 win on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Montreal Canadiens seemingly came out flat against the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres capitalized on this as they jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second and rolled to a Game 1 victory.
While the game didn't play out as the Canadiens hoped, the series isn't lost for them. There were plenty of positives to take away from this game as they look ahead to Game 2 on Friday night with these three in particular.
Dominant in the faceoff circle
One of the underlying stats that gets lost in a game like this was the fact that the Canadiens dominated in the faceoff circle against the Buffalo Sabres. They would finish the game with a win percentage of nearly 63%, with Jake Evans and Phillip Danault leading the way as each won 9 of 13 faceoffs in this game.
This was an area where the Canadiens had a big advantage, as the Sabres have been a bad faceoff team almost all season. It is also something that can help them move forward in the series, especially with faceoffs in the offensive zone. The more they can win in this part of the ice, the more scoring chances they can generate.
Nick Suzuki is heating up
The Canadiens are still waiting for Cole Caufield to break out in these playoffs, but while that is delayed, Nick Suzuki has begun to pick up the scoring load. After a crucial goal in Game 7 against the Lightning, Suzuki added a power play goal in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres.
It was an important goal as it was right at the end of the first period and should have given them some momentum going into the second, being down only 2-1. Unfortunately, the Sabres scored the first two goals of the second period, which really pushed the game out of reach.
One of the notable trends over the past two games is that Suzuki is getting more shots on goal with six over this stretch, compared to only seven in the first six games of the playoffs. If the Canadiens captain can keep this pace, it certainly will make this a competitive series with the Sabres.
Canadiens outplayed the Sabres in the third period
While neither team scored in the third period, it seemed the momentum shifted in Montreal's favor and they were the better team over the final 20 minutes. Maybe it was due to the Sabres not being as aggressive with the game seemingly in hand, but for the Canadiens, it is something they can build on going into Game 2.
In the final period, the Canadiens had a Corsi For % of 68.75%, scoring chances were in their favor 12 to 3, and shots were 11 to 1, according to Natural Stat Trick.
For the Canadiens, when they go back and look at this game, the third period is the one they should focus on. That is the period that they will want to replicate moving forward in this series, as if they can do that over a full game, they have a great chance to move on in this series.
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