BUFFALO — A Saturday night time on the Bell Centre with an opportunity to clinch the sequence, you say?
The Montreal Canadiens can e-book their ticket to the Jap Convention remaining on Saturday night time in what might be absolute bedlam in that area after caring for enterprise on the street but once more.
Josh Anderson, Jake Evans and Nick Suzuki scored within the second interval Thursday night time to rally the Canadiens to a 6-3 win in Recreation 5 earlier than a shocked KeyBank Middle crowd.
Montreal improved to 5-2 on the street this postseason. The Canadiens additionally improved to 5-0 in these Stanley Cup playoffs in video games instantly following a loss, and total, they’re now 10-0 after a defeat going again to the common season.
If the Carolina Hurricanes had been watching, they absolutely had been licking their lips at how each groups defended on this night time, particularly within the first interval and a half. The sport started with Buffalo scoring on three of its first 4 pictures, as Jason Zucker, Josh Doan and Konsta Helenius all beat shaky Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobeš.
The center interval started with the Sabres seemingly in full management, buzzing shift after shift within the Habs finish within the opening 4 minutes as Montreal struggled to defend in its personal zone.
The turning level might have been when Sabres heart Tage Thompson skated in alone however was stopped by Dobeš 3:46 into the second interval. That would have damaged the sport open for the Sabres by giving them a 4-2 lead, however the rookie Habs netminder mentioned no. That spurred on a Montreal rally as Anderson, Evans and Suzuki, the latter on the ability play, all scored because the Canadiens went to the dressing room up 5-3.
You possibly can hear a pin drop at KeyBank Middle.
The barrage additionally led to a goalie change as Alex Lyon changed Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to begin the third interval.
Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield and Alexandre Texier additionally scored for the Canadiens, who additionally obtained three assists from winger Juraj Slafkovský.
After their 1-for-7 energy play in Recreation 4 was a significant motive the Canadiens misplaced Tuesday night time, the Habs went 2-for-2 with the person benefit in Recreation 5, as their electrical energy play seemed wholesome once more.
St. Louis’ religion in Dobeš rewarded
After Dobeš allowed targets on three straight pictures and had one save on 4 pictures halfway via the primary interval, it might have been justified for Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis to ask some questions. That will have been very true with simply how ugly that third objective was, with Helenius spinning and capturing the puck cleanly via Dobeš’ legs from 30 ft out.
However St. Louis caught with Dobeš, who stared down a future Corridor of Famer in Andrei Vasilevskiy within the first spherical to get the Canadiens up to now. The coach’s loyalty was rewarded, with Dobeš stopping all 32 pictures he noticed the remainder of the best way and permitting the Canadiens to catch their breath and get again within the recreation.
Dobeš’ greatest save got here on a Tage Thompson breakaway within the fourth minute of the second interval with the Sabres main 3-2. The Canadiens tied it on Anderson’s third objective of the playoffs a couple of minutes later.
The tough begin was a brand new take a look at for the Canadiens’ rookie netminder, who needed to shake it off, battle via it and discover his recreation to provide his crew an opportunity. Identical to each different take a look at Dobeš has confronted in these playoffs, he handed with flying colours. — Arpon Basu, Canadiens author
One other goalie change in Buffalo
Luukkonen gave the Sabres a powerful efficiency in a Recreation 4 win in Montreal, stopping 28 of 30 pictures. However Recreation 5 was a unique story. Luukkonen had some good moments, together with a highlight-reel save on Ivan Demidov within the second interval. However he additionally let in a smooth objective when a Demidov shot snuck via him, permitting Evans to faucet in Montreal’s fifth objective of the night time. By the tip of the second interval, Luukkonen had allowed 5 targets on 22 pictures. 4 of these got here on high-danger probabilities, in keeping with Pure Stat Trick, so it wasn’t all on Luukkonen. He completed with 18 saves on 23 pictures earlier than the Sabres went again to Alex Lyon for the third interval.
The Sabres have rotated between Luukkonen and Lyon all season. That has continued within the postseason. Now that Lyon has had a number of days off, the Sabres ought to return to him dealing with elimination in Recreation 6. He’s been the stronger goalie within the playoffs, and the Sabres can’t afford one other off night time from Luukkonen. — Matthew Fairburn, Sabres author
Canadiens’ prime line breaks the goose egg
It’s arduous to imagine, however the line of Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovský had not scored a objective at five-on-five in these total playoffs till Caufield’s objective at 6:31 of the primary interval broke that streak.
Paradoxically, it got here in a recreation the place the road was mainly buried at five-on-five, primarily by the Sabres line of Zach Benson, Josh Norris and Doan. Suzuki’s line dominated that matchup in Recreation 4 to the tune of an 11-0 benefit in shot makes an attempt with Suzuki and Norris on the ice, however that was not the case in Recreation 5.
Not even shut.
Nonetheless, the Caufield objective was his fourth of the playoffs, and he has now scored in three straight video games. Suzuki scored on the ability play and added two assists, and Slafkovský had three assists. Suzuki and Slafkovský matched their playoff profession highs with three factors apiece.
The Canadiens’ prime line lastly seems to be heating up. — Basu
The place is Buffalo’s prime line?
The Sabres’ prime line has been lacking in motion this sequence. After he was plus-eight with seven factors within the first spherical towards Boston, Alex Tuch has zero factors on this sequence and is minus-eight. Thompson has two targets and two assists on this sequence however remains to be minus-nine. Peyton Krebs additionally doesn’t have a degree and is minus-five this spherical. That’s clearly nowhere close to ok for what is meant to be the Sabres’ greatest line. The Benson-Norris-Doan line has been carrying the crew offensively whereas dealing with some powerful matchups on prime of it.
Thompson had an opportunity to interrupt this recreation open on a breakaway and made one transfer too many earlier than Dobeš stopped him. Thompson then took a cross-checking penalty late within the second interval, and it led to Montreal’s fifth objective of the sport when Suzuki scored on an influence play.
Whereas Montreal’s prime line mixed for seven factors on this recreation alone, the Sabres’ top-line gamers have mixed for 4 factors the complete sequence. If the Sabres find yourself shedding this sequence, will probably be as a result of they didn’t get almost sufficient from their greatest gamers. Late within the recreation, Ruff tried each Helenius and Ryan McLeod in Krebs’ spot on the highest line in an try to get Tuch and Thompson going. We’ll see if the Sabres have a brand new prime line in Recreation 6. — Fairburn