The Montreal Canadiens bounced back on Friday with a 5-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres. The victory ties the series 1-1 and gives Montreal home ice advantage as they return to the Bell Centre for game 3 on Sunday.
The Canadiens grabbed an early lead with goals by Alex Newhook and Mike Matheson 4:27 after puck drop. Newhook increased the lead with his second of the night in the middle frame by tapping in Jake Evans’ pass. Zach Benson put Buffalo on the board in the final minute of the period to get the KeyBank Centre crowd back into the contest. Alexandre Carrier deflated the Sabres early in the third with a top corner goal. Finally, Nick Suzuki added an empty netter to extend his scoring streak to three games.
Habs Notes
Here are some notes from Friday’s contest.
- The team has shown character and resilience throughout the season. Friday’s result extended the winning streak to eight games following a loss.
- It was Montreal’s first postseason win when leading after 40 minutes. They lost twice in this situation in the first round.
- The defence played a major role in the offensive zone. In addition to the goals scored by Matheson and Carrier, the defencemen took 13 of the 28 shots on goal.
- Newhook has delivered important goals in the playoff run. He scored the game winning goal in game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and his first goal on Friday gave momentum 1:36 into the contest.
- Cole Caufield’s scoreless drought continues. Caufield took accountability for the lack of production and he answered with two quality chances while on a power play. In the first period, he took a shot from the slot that Alex Lyon made a glove save, and in the third, he shot the puck straight on the cross bar.
- About that power play, Montreal went 0-for-5 on Friday. Since Juraj Slafkovsky scored three times versus Tampa Bay on opening night, it’s been a disappointing 3‑for‑29.
Rocket Notes
In the shadows of their NHL counterparts down the road, the Laval Rocket are in a tight playoff series of their own. The Rocket host the Toronto Marlies (Maple Leafs) on Saturday in the deciding game of the best-of-five series. The teams split both games in each building through four matchups. A win on Saturday earns a matchup against the Cleveland Monsters (Columbus Blue Jackets) in the North Division Finals.
Here are notes on the series in preparation for Saturday.
- David Reinbacher left last game during the second period due to an undisclosed injury. The defenceman did not practice on Friday, and the team has made no announcement about his availability for Saturday. Reinbacher hasn’t recorded a point in the series but has seven shots on goal and a plus‑3 rating through four games.
- Filip Mesar hasn’t dressed in this series. It’s clear Pascal Vincent doesn’t see a fit for him in the playoff lineup. Last season, Mesar made one postseason appearance during Laval’s 13-game run. Mesar ended the regular season with one assist in eight games.
- Following Toronto’s back-to-back 6-2 wins, Vincent sent a message by scratching Jared Davidson for game 4. Including the regular season, Davidson has one assist in his last 12 games. The 23‑year‑old’s production dipped significantly after returning from his 10‑game NHL stint at the end of December. Davidson began the season with nine goals in 13 games before the recall, and then seven goals in the following 40 games.
- The Canadiens assigned Adam Engstrom to Laval in time for game 4. He immediately got time on the power play and penalty kill. Engstrom had not played since April 14th in Montreal’s final game of the regular season against the Flyers.
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