Sabres thoughts: Why Buffalo could be chasing Montreal again after latest loss
Buffalo has lost five straight games against the Canadiens.
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The Sabres now have lost five straight games against the Canadiens. Eric Bolte / Imagn Images
During the 2022-23 season, the Buffalo Sabres looked like a team that would inevitably challenge the heavy hitters in the NHL’s Atlantic Division. They finished the season with 91 points, one shy of a playoff berth, and had the look of a future contender. That year, the Montreal Canadiens were still in the early stages of a rebuild. They had just picked No. 1 in the previous draft and finished that 2022-23 season with only 68 points in the standings.
In the time since, the Canadiens closed the gap and passed the Sabres. While the Sabres took a step back in the standings in each of the last two seasons, the Canadiens got back to the playoffs last season and won the season series against the Sabres 4-0.
And if Monday was any indication, the Canadiens’ are going to continue to be a problem for the Sabres and the rest of the Atlantic Division. Montreal improved to 5-2 with a 4-2 win over Buffalo. The Sabres now have lost five straight games against the Canadiens and fell to 2-4 on the season.
The Canadiens jumped all over the Sabres early in this game. By the end of the first period, Montreal had generated 11 high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Sabres were only down 1-0 at that point thanks to another outstanding night from Alex Lyon, who stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced in the first period. It became clear early how Montreal has already scored 25 goals, the most in the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres settled down and made it a game from there, holding the Canadiens to just three high-dangers chances the rest of the way. But Montreal’s speed, skill and depth were on display throughout the game. Fourteen Canadiens were on the ice for Montreal’s three five-on-five goals. That was the difference for a Sabres team that, due to injuries, has been relying on depth players to play bigger roles than they can handle. Four players in Buffalo’s lineup spent most of last season in the AHL.
And Buffalo’s best players still haven’t done quite enough to make up for the injury depleted lineup. After an 0-3 start, the Sabres clawed back closer to .500 with two straight wins. But they got a reminder on Monday of just how difficult the Canadiens will be to handle.
The Sabres will now have a home game against the division-leading Red Wings on Tuesday before playing a home-and-home against the Maple Leafs on Friday and Saturday. Buffalo will have a good idea where it stands in the division by the end of this stretch.
Here’s what we saw in the Sabres’ loss Monday.
Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes stops a shot by Sabres forward Tage Thompson during the second period.Eric Bolte / Imagn Images
1. Jiri Kulich started to show some of the offensive flair he had during his 15-goal rookie season last year. He got off to a slow start to the season but played his best game of the season Monday. He scored on a nice feed from Zach Benson when he crashed the net after winning a puck battle. Unfortunately, Kulich and Mattias Samuelsson also had weak coverage in front of Buffalo’s net on the Canadiens’ second goal, which ended up being the game-winner. So it wasn’t a perfect night, but it was a step in the right direction.
2. With his assist on Kulich’s goal, Benson now has a team-leading six points, all of them assists. He’s also only played three of Buffalo’s six games. He led the Sabres with seven shots on net and had four high-danger chances in this game. His ability to win puck battles and make quick passes in tight areas is leading to a ton of scoring chances for Buffalo’s top line. Benson just has to find his finishing touch and the goals will start to come.
3. The Sabres still need more from their top players. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch only have one goal each through six games. Thompson generated a ton of chances in this game but couldn’t convert. He also had some careless decisions with the puck.
Rasmus Dahlin was actively involved throughout this game, but he led the Sabres with four giveaways. He leads the team with 14 giveaways in six games. He hasn’t been sturdy enough defensively. Tuch, meanwhile, has just one hit in six games. Among Sabres who have played every game, only Jack Quinn has fewer hits.
With injuries hurting the Sabres’ depth, these are the three players who need to carry Buffalo in games like this one. One positive sign worth pointing out is that Thompson leads the Sabres with 17 hits in six games and he has jumped in to defend Dahlin after the whistle in consecutive games. The production should come for Thompson, and the Sabres need it to come soon.
4. Buffalo’s third line was a problem for most of the night. Through two periods, the Sabres had just 6.85-percent of the expected goals when Jason Zucker, Peyton Krebs and Quinn were on the ice at five-on-five. Quinn showed a bit more jump in the third period and got an assist, but overall, that line was an anchor for the Sabres in this game.
Losing Josh Norris on the top line has tested Buffalo’s center depth, but this is also where the Sabres are missing the depth that Jordan Greenway and Justin Danforth could provide. They’re the type of players who can stabilize the bottom six. Greenway is getting closer to a return, but Danforth will be out for at least a month.
5. Meanwhile, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff only trusted Mason Geertsen and Josh Dunne with under seven minutes of ice time each. The Sabres called up Noah Ostlund on Sunday, and it might be time to give the 21-year-old a look on the third line to see if he can provide an offensive spark.
6. Ryan McLeod had a rough game in Montreal. His puck management wasn’t sharp. He was a step slow with decisions and had a few careless plays that led to turnovers the other way. McLeod ended up with three giveaways, according to Natural Stat Trick. He was solid in a third-line role last season, but McLeod seems out of his depth playing as the second-line center. He had two goals against the Senators last week, but otherwise, McLeod’s game has been uneven this season.
7. Tyson Kozak might be earning a season-long spot on the roster. He scored a goal on a no-nonsense play in front of the net. Quinn fanned on a shot, and Kozak redirected it into the net.
The goal cut the Sabres’ deficit to 3-2 and gave them a fighting chance to tie the game. But Kozak’s offense isn’t what has helped him earn Ruff’s trust. He’s a consistent forechecker, plays a smart defensive game and has added strength in puck battles this season. Kozak had 9:46 of ice time at five-on-five, and the Sabres had 87-percent of the expected goals with him on the ice. He’s been rock solid as Buffalo’s fourth center.