The Montreal Canadiens kicked off their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night, but it was the Sabres who drew first blood with a decisive 4-2 victory. Both teams came in hungry for a statement win, and the action on the ice didn't disappoint.
Before the puck dropped, head coach Martin St-Louis shook things up with a couple of key lineup changes. Joe Veleno made his playoff debut, anchoring the fourth line between Zachary Bolduc and Kirby Dach. Meanwhile, Arber Xhekaj slotted in alongside Noah Dobson on the third pairing, adding some grit to the blue line.
The Canadiens actually outshot their opponents, but hockey is a game of moments—and the Sabres made theirs count. One of those pivotal moments came when Lane Hutson hit the crossbar at one end, only to cough up the puck at Montreal's blue line moments later. That mistake turned into a 3-on-1 rush for Buffalo, and Josh Doan buried his second goal of the playoffs to put the Sabres up 1-0. Noah Dobson tried to slide and break up the pass, but it wasn't enough to stop the play.
The Sabres stretched their lead to two before the Canadiens could respond. At even strength, both teams looked evenly matched, but special teams stole the show. The powerplay dictated momentum, and it took a man advantage for Montreal to finally get on the board. A perfect feed from Juraj Slafkovsky set up captain Nick Suzuki for a smart finish, cutting the lead to 2-1 and giving Habs fans a spark of hope.
Goaltender Jakub Dobes was Montreal's MVP in the first round, but Wednesday wasn't his night. He wasn't awful, but for the first time in these playoffs, he looked shaky—lacking the confidence and poise that defined his earlier performances. The Sabres scored four times on just nine shots, including two powerplay goals that sealed the deal.
It's early in the series, and the Canadiens have shown they can hang with Buffalo at 5-on-5. If they can clean up the mistakes and get Dobes back on track, this series is far from over. For now, though, the Sabres have the edge.