Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres did not go according to plan for the Montreal Canadiens. Goaltender Jakub Dobes did exactly what we wrote he couldn't afford to do, and had his worst outing of the playoffs. Montreal took three penalties and allowed two of the ensuing power play chances against to be converted into goals. And when push came to shove in the third period, they couldn't beat Alex Lyon.
Yet the Habs don't need to look far for proof that they can bounce back from a tough loss, nor is the recipe for their success out of reach. On April 27, the Canadiens suffered a brutal Game 4 defeat against a battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning team. That could have been the end of their playoff run, at least spiritually.
In that contest, they surrendered a two-goal lead--at home, no less--and pundits and fans alike thought that the Lightning were going to be able to take control of the first-round series in Game 5. Montreal responded with a huge win in Tampa, thanks in large part to a Herculean effort from Dobes in goal. They showed in that contest, and in Game 7, that they have what it takes to step up in big moments. The Canadiens have another opportunity to do that in Game 2 on Friday night.
Stating the obvious: Jakub Dobes has to be better
Montreal can't keep counting on Dobes to bail them out of games in which they give up 40 shots against. But there's no denying that the goaltender would like to have at least one of the goals against him back from Game 1, when Jordan Greenway wired a shot from the top of the left circle to beat him glove side. Greenway appeared in 40 regular-season games and notched just a single goal, yet on that play, Dobes made him look like prime Alex Ovechkin.
Leaky goals happen, but the Canadiens don't have that kind of margin for error against this Sabres team. Game 1 has an entirely different complexion if the Greenwood goal doesn't happen. It'd be nice to see the forward bail the goalie out for once in this playoff run, though, and a very important piece of the puzzle on attack may have finally come together on Wednesday night.
Montreal's power play was dangerous and, more importantly, Nick Suzuki found the back of the net for his second tally of the playoffs. The forward impacts the game in a ton of ways, as indicated by his recent Selke Trophy nomination.
The Canadiens aren't getting by Buffalo without contributions from their best player on the scorecard, however, and that power-play goal may finally get him going in the offensive zone. Don't overlook the fact that Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov picked up their first and second points of the playoffs, respectively, on that marker, either.
Nick Suzucki, Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov have to contribute on the scoresheet
Those are three names that the Habs simply must have generating offense if they want to appear in the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2014. Getting something from Cole Caufield would certainly be a massive boost, too.
This team isn't done and dusted. Not by a long shot. The reality is, the Canadiens won't even be entirely toast if they go down 0-2 after losing both of the first games of the second round on the road. Going back to Montreal tied 1-1 looks a lot better than that, though.
Head coach Martin St. Louis touched on his top forwards being noticeably better following Game 1, telling gathered media as much. This, according to Heather Engel of NHL.com: “I felt our top guys got more touches in space and stuff. And that's what I liked. And I liked that we battled. It wasn't the start that we wanted in the game, in the series. But we're going to keep going.”
Hockey isn't a complicated game on paper, so Montreal's checklist for a Game 2 victory seems pretty simple. Better goaltending, handle forecheck pressure better, and get goals from the top-six. The Canadiens got by Tampa while only doing two of those three things, so this series against Buffalo is still very much within reach. The blueprint is there, and recent history suggests that the Habs won't be wilting on Friday night.
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