What is “river hockey”?
a fast-paced, high-scoring, and often unstructured style of play resembling pond or backyard hockey
River hockey is what will define this series.
Fast. Unstructured. Fun.
Where We Sit
Both teams go into this series having proved to NHL fans around the world that they are not only ready for the playoffs, but ready to make a deep playoff run.
Buffalo, after taking 14 years to make the playoffs, achieved their first series win in 19 years… and it wasn’t a tough battle either. The Sabres absolutely manhandled the Bruins.
The Canadiens are almost unsurprisingly becoming a budding dynasty. With a homegrown trio of young superstars in Caufield, Suzuki, and Hutson, we can expect this team to stick around for the long run, and they proved that by taking down the Atlantic powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning.
Storylines to Watch
1. The Goons
The playoffs have accentuated the play styles of both of these goons.
Josh Anderson single-handedly started a line scrum with the Lightning last series and cemented himself as the villain of the series.
Zach Benson was a constant rat in the way of the Bruins’ physicality and even got Charlie McAvoy so off his game that he decided to use his stick as a weapon.
Expect fireworks with these two. If it’s with each other, grab your popcorn.
2. Can The Canadiens Figure Out Their Top Line?
The Canadiens’ top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovský failed to make an impact in their series versus the Lightning.
As a result, the group was split rather quickly.
On Tuesday, head coach Martin St. Louis reunited the trio. It’s not a shock to see the team go back to what worked so well for them in the regular season, and if they find their groove again, we can expect that line to be a key factor in this series.
3. The Sabres Power Play
The Sabres have the worst power play percentage of any team in the entire playoffs.
Registering an embarrassing 4.2%, the Sabres are obligated to fix their power play this series, because in a likely back-and-forth matchup, a terrible power play will cost you a game or two.
Injury Report
Sabres
- Forward Sam Carrick has been dealing with an upper-body injury and is questionable for Game 1, per Head Coach Lindy Ruff
- Rookie Forward Noah Ostlund is expected to miss this series due to a lower-body injury, per Lindy Ruff.
Canadiens
- Defenseman Noah Dobson returned to the lineup in Game 7 versus the Lightning for the first time since breaking his hand in April. Dobson only played just over 18 minutes, and is likely to ease in more this series.
Key Matchup To Watch:
Alex Lyon vs. Jakub Dobes
Both goalies have been absolutely lights-out through the playoffs.
The Sabres certainly have an advantage in this area, with Alex Lyon having some otherworldly performances versus the Bruins.
Alex Lyon, in 5 games, has a staggering .955 SV% and 1.14 GAA.
Jakub Dobes, in 7 games, has a .923 SV% and a 2.03 GAA.
With this series being a battle between two high-powered offenses, the better goalie will take the series.
A real lukewarm take, yes, I know.
X-Factors
Sabres X-Factor
Alex Tuch:
Tuch led the Sabres in points in Round 1 and registered multiple special teams goals that moved the Sabres to victory.
89 is white-hot and will look to continue that.
Canadiens X-Factor
Juraj Slavkovský:
Your 73-point power forward cannot be invisible throughout the playoffs. Simple as that.
Only registering 3 points in a 7-game series (albeit three goals) is inexcusable for one of the game’s budding stars.
Slafkovský will look to improve his playmaking and -4 +/- this series.
Keys To Victory
Buffalo
- Continue Alex Lyon’s impressive stretch
- Shut down Caufield with a strong forecheck
- Fix the power play
- No slow starts
Montreal
- Stick with your bread-and-butter first line
- Keep easing Noah Dobson back
- Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier must contribute again
- Use Brendan Gallagher if this becomes a physical series
Series Prediction
Sabres in 6 — This will be a back-and-forth series between two very evenly balanced franchises.
High scoring, aggravating, and awesome.
The Canadiens are not ready for a deep playoff run without a true number one goaltender. But, the Sabres will need to first get behind the red hot Dubes.
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