Heading into Game 5, Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff knew that he wanted to see a lot less of the Montreal Canadiens' power play. The unit--especially the No. 1 group--has been clicking at a lethal level. After nearly two rounds of action, Montreal's power play is converting on 22.9 percent of its opportunities with the extra man.
The Sabres are the third-most penalized team in these playoffs, after all. And this came back to bite them in Game 5, as both Buffalo penalties led to goals for the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki's power-play goal in the second period essentially put the game away for the Habs, who took a 5-3 lead at that point and never looked back.
Leading up to the contest, Ruff had made it clear that he wasn't happy with the officiating in the series. Never mind that the second-most penalized team in these playoffs has been the Canadiens. Never one to shy away from gamesmanship, Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis sniped back ahead of Game 5. This, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic:
"I mean, I feel like if I’m relying on the refs for me to win a series, I’m spending my energy in the wrong place."
Both the Sabres and Canadiens have done their fair share of embellishing in this series, where it still could very well come down to Game 7. But it's interesting to note how the two head coaches--who are separated by more than a generation behind the bench--have handled the dives and head snaps.
Ruff seemingly got his way in Game 5, with Montreal not getting its first power play until late in the second period. Yet it took Suzuki all of 10 seconds to find the back of the net and put the contest out of reach for the Sabres for good on that first man advantage.
Meanwhile, the Sabres came up empty on their two power-play attempts and couldn't find a way to score despite spending the last six minutes of the game--give or take--with netminder Alex Lyon on the bench for the extra attacker.
Rough finish to Game 5 sets up interesting dynamic between Canadiens & Sabres
Perhaps the most interesting part of Game 5 was how it ended, with tempers finally boiling over and several players getting tossed in the waning minutes. Lane Hutson's cross-check to the hip of Jack Quinn was retaliatory and nasty, and it took officials several minutes to break up members of the Canadiens and Sabres at the end of regulation.
With the series hanging in the balance for Buffalo heading into Game 6, will it continue to try to intimidate the Canadiens with physical play? The risk, of course, is taking one or two ill-timed penalties, like in Game 5, which contributed to the Canadiens cruising to a win.
Or will they ease up a bit, which could create more space for the likes of Ivan Demidov and Cole Caufield at evens? There may be no bigger factor heading into this massive Game 6, and it will be interesting to see how both Ruff and St. Louis manage the emotions of their respective teams from behind the benches.
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