Smart, Aggressive Management Has the Habs Looking Good
Buffalo Sabres (2-3-0) vs. Montreal Canadiens (4-2-0)
Puck Drop: 7:30 pm Eastern Time | Bell Centre | Montreal, Quebec
TV: MSG, ESPN+
Know Your Opponent
Montreal Canadiens
Record: 4-2-0 | 8 PTS
Last Game: 4-3 loss to NYR
Division Ranking: 2nd in Atlantic
PP: 18.2% 19th (Sabres: 27.8% 7th)
PK: 72.2% 23rd (Sabres: 95.7% 1st)
What to Watch
1) Rapid Rise
Montreal was down and out not long ago, but a nice blend of good draft picks, trades and signings have the Habs on a big upswing. They are winning games and looking good doing it. They have good young talent in Juraj Slafkovský and now Ivan Demidov. Lane Hudson took the league by storm last season too, scoring 66 points as a rookie defenseman. He took home the Calder Trophy as well. The Canadiens also landed one of the biggest fish in free agency last summer in defender Noah Dobson. Combine all that with slick offensive wizards Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki and it gets even better. But we are not done. Montreal has some solid vets as well, experienced, gritty, two-way players. Josh Anderson, Kirby Dach and Brendan Gallagher are represented here. Let us not forget 4th year bruiser Arber Xhekaj either, the Habs’ resident policeman. The Canadiens have a nice mix of players who are getting the job done. They are ahead of the Sabres at this point, evidenced by the standings this year and last. Montreal also swept all four games from Buffalo in 2024-25.
2) Sabres Turnaround
After dropping their first three games where the offense was nowhere to be found, Buffalo has now won two straight. They first vetoed the Senators and then put the Cats out for the night. Now they face the Canadiens, a team that dominated them last year. The Sabres are coming off a solid team effort where they stifled the Panthers. Strong special teams play was a major factor but they were pretty good 5 on 5 too. They will need an effort like that against Montreal who are off to a good start.
It seems rather obvious at this point but Buffalo is riding the bullish efforts of Alex Lyon, Josh Doan and Zach Benson right now. Benny has invigorated the offense with five assists in his two games. He has also energized the team with his relentless play. Doaner is getting to the net, working hard on the boards and cashing in doing the dirty work. He shares Benson’s great work ethic. And what can you say about Alex Lyon? He has been a steady, calming presence back there between the pipes, giving the Sabres a chance to win every night. He has been everything the team and the fanbase could have hoped for, thrust into the starting role with UPL’s injury. We shall see if he can maintain this level of play.
3) Injury Report
Buffalo lost Jacob Bryson last game, who is now in concussion protocol. I would expect him to be out a week or more. It looks like Zach Metsa may get his first NHL action. Justin Danforth, out since the Ottawa game with a lower body injury, looks to miss a month at least. Josh Norris remains out long term. Now some better news. Jordan Greenway is making strides and could play as soon as later this week. With Danforth out, Greenway should slot into his role. Luukkonen has had several practices with the team but has still not been cleared. He is close but head coach Lindy Ruff has not ruled out a conditioning stint of a game with Rochester. Best guess, with no more setbacks, we should see UPL by next week? Perhaps even as soon as the home and home games with Toronto later this week. Meanwhile, defenseman Michael Kesselring is doing rehab skating and Ruff said he is in “the beginning stages” of a return to team practices. That tells me he is at least a week out, maybe two. Those three players, out since camp or before, are all getting close. Greenway and UPL should be first, with Kesselring next when he is ready.
UPDATE: The Sabres recalled forward Noah Ostlund and defenseman Zac Jones from the Rochester Americans on Sunday. Perhaps Jones takes Metsa’s spot in Montreal? Ruff may prefer a player with NHL experience. I’m not sure where Ostlund fits in here, though there was a conflicting report Beck Malenstyn might be injured. It seems Beck has been placed on IR and will be out at least a week. The Sabres have not officially announced that as of this writing.
Projected Lineups
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Benson – Kulich – Thompson
Doan – McLeod – Tuch
Zucker – Krebs – Quinn
Josh Dunne – Kozak – Geertsen/Ostlund
Defense
Byram – Dahlin
Power – Timmins
Samuelsson – Metsa/Jones
Goalies: Lyon, Ellis
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Montreal Canadians
Forwards
Caufield – Suzuki – Slafkovsky
Newhook – Kapanen – Demidov
Bolduc – Veleno – Beck
Anderson – Evans – Gallagher
Defense
Matheson – Dobson
Struble – Hutson
Xhekaj – Carrier
Goalies: Montembeault, Dobes