The Buffalo Sabres are heading into enemy territory for Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, and they know they need to clean up their puck play to regain control of this second-round series. After a dominant performance in Game 1, the Sabres came crashing back to earth in Game 2, falling 5-1 to the Canadiens and evening the series at one game apiece.

Buffalo came out swinging—literally. The Sabres threw 44 hits at Montreal, nearly three times the Canadiens' 18, with Mattias Samuelsson leading the charge with 10 and Tage Thompson adding six. On paper, it looked like a physical statement. But Montreal wasn't impressed. Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovsky suggested the hits were more reactive than disruptive. "I feel like all of their hits happen after the plays," he said. "Especially me, I mean, I made a play, and then, three seconds after, I got hit. ... Sometimes, you've got to take a hit to make a play."

The Sabres' real problem, however, wasn't the lack of physical impact—it was the lack of puck control. Thompson, usually a catalyst for Buffalo, had a night to forget. He finished with a minus-4 rating and a costly turnover that came from simply falling to the ice, which led to Alexandre Carrier's third-period goal that sealed the game for Montreal. For a team that prides itself on speed and skill, these unforced errors are the kind of mistakes that can derail a playoff run.

Now, with the series shifting to the Bell Centre in Montreal, the Sabres face a crucial test. The Canadiens will have home-ice energy, and Buffalo needs to match it with discipline and smarter puck management. The physical edge is still there—the Sabres proved they can bully Montreal when they want to—but without taking care of the puck, all those hits won't matter. For fans watching from home or gearing up for a watch party in Sabres gear, the key question is whether Buffalo can bounce back and bring the series momentum back to their side.