The Montreal Canadiens aim to celebrate Mother’s Day with a victory as they strive to take a 2-1 series lead against the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the playoffs tonight.
Having split the first two games at KeyBank Center, the Canadiens are coming off a 4-2 loss in the series opener and a strong 5-1 win in Game 2. Remarkably, Montreal has maintained a perfect 4-0 record after losses in this postseason.
Despite the lively atmosphere and passionate fans at the Bell Centre, the Canadiens have not capitalized on home ice advantage in the playoffs thus far. In the previous round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal struggled at home, winning just one out of three games, with the sole victory coming in overtime during Game 3.
Although the Canadiens have not secured consecutive wins in the playoffs, they find themselves just three wins away from a potential Eastern Conference final showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes, now holding home-ice advantage against the Sabres.
Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobeš, who has been solid in net for all eight playoff games, enters tonight’s matchup with a .917 save percentage. His standout 28-save performance in Game 2 in Buffalo has earned him a spot alongside legends Patrick Roy and Carey Price as the third rookie Canadiens netminder with at least five playoff wins.
On the other side, the Sabres acknowledge their subpar performance in Game 2 and are determined to bounce back for the upcoming challenge in Montreal. Coach Lindy Ruff has hinted at making adjustments to the team’s power-play units and overall intensity for the games in Montreal.
