Canadiens Preview: Fighting For Control Of The Series

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens (6-4) will face the Buffalo Sabres (5-4) in Game 4 of their second-round series on Tuesday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.

The Habs will have an opportunity to take a stranglehold on the series with a win, though it will be difficult to produce a third dominant victory in a row.

While the Sabres won Game 1 after being outshot considerably, the Canadiens were clearly the better team in Game 2 and Game 3, outscoring the Sabres 11-3 in that span.

Sunday’s game, in particular, featured one of the most impressive performances from the Habs, as both the first line and the depth players provided crucial offence. It was the epitome of a complete team effort, and a sign that this very young team is arguably peaking at the perfect time.

Beyond the play of the skaters, netminder Jakub Dobes has been excellent, and has managed to improve the majority of his statistics compared to the regular season. He’s become a beacon of consistency for the Canadiens, and though some out-of-town analysts have suggested he may want to tone down the emotional aspect of his style of play, it would neuter not only the player, but the team as well.

Dobes is heavily invested in every play, and that’s simply the way he likes it.

And you can’t argue with the results.

Another storyline worth monitoring in Game 4 was the uptick in post-whistle violence from Game 3. The Sabres got the ball rolling when Beck Malenstyn ran Dobes, while responded at the final whistle with an ugly punch directly to ’s chin.