No practice. Plan for the best. That's the Ruff approach with Sabres facing elimination vs. Canadiens

“It’s the hardest game. Any time a team’s got it’s back against the wall, that’s when they’re desperate,” defenseman Alexandre Carrier said. “We just got to stick to our game plan and really do what we do best.”

The series winner advances to play Carolina, which has swept both of its playoff series, and been off since a 3-2 overtime win against Philadelphia on May 9. The East final will start either next Tuesday or next Thursday.

Buffalo’s double troubles

The Sabres have various concerns following a 6-3 home loss on Thursday with a renewed focus on a sputtering offense and inconsistencies in net.

Leading 3-2, Buffalo allowed Montreal to score three times over the final 12 minutes of the second period.

Buffalo has combined for just nine goals in its past four games after a 4-2 win in Game 1. More worrisome is allowing 19 goals over the same span.

Regular-season leading scorer Tage Thompson, who was stopped on a breakaway early in the second period, has two goals and two assists in the series. Fellow first-line forward Alex Tuch has been blanked in all five games, and acknowledged playing poorly on defense.

“I’ve got to bear down. I’ve got to be better. I can’t play the way I’m playing right now,” Tuch said. “But I’ve got to move past it.”

Goaltending is a question mark. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was pulled Thursday after allowing five goals on 23 shots through two periods. Alex Lyon mopped up, allowing a goal on three shots in his first appearance since losing the starting job following a 6-2 loss in Game 3.

Ruff doesn’t comment on his goaltending plans. And should the team not practice Saturday morning, the Game 6 starter won’t be revealed until shortly before puck drop.

Passing up chances

Among Ruff’s other concerns is Buffalo either passing up scoring opportunities, or failing to finish when getting shots on net. This was especially the case in the first period, when Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes looked shaky after allowing three goals on four shots.

“We thought we let them off the hook,” Ruff said. “Probably there were four or five opportunities to get the puck there quicker last night that could have kept them in chaos.”

Ruff turned the attention to whatever bright sides he could find.

The Sabres are 4-1 on the road this postseason, including a series-clinching 4-1 win at Boston. There’s also the reality of Buffalo being one of five teams still in contention.

“We get to go to Montreal in Game 6 in the middle of May,” Ruff said, noting it’s a message he intends to share with his team. “I think we’ll all be evaluated on what this game looks like. Just bring your best.”