The Buffalo Sabres aim to improve their puck management as they head into Game 3 against the Montreal Canadiens, tied 1-1 in the series. After a heavy loss in Game 2, the Sabres are focused on making fewer mistakes with the puck.
Key points
Buffalo Sabres focus on puck management for Game 3
Series tied 1-1 against Montreal Canadiens
Sabres lost Game 2 with a score of 5-1
Sabres recorded 44 hits in Game 2
Mattias Samuelsson had 10 hits in Game 2
Buffalo SabresMontreal Canadiens
Sabres look to clean up puck mistakes entering Game 3 in Montreal
The Buffalo Sabres know they have to be much better with the puck Sunday night as their second-round series shifts north to Montreal for Game 3, all square at one game apiece with the Canadiens.
The Sabres played a heavy game against Montreal in Game 2 Friday night, but it was to no avail as the Canadiens blew out the Atlantic Division champs 5-1.
Buffalo dished out 44 hits on the red-white-and-blue-clad Habs, who returned just 18. Mattias Samuelsson recorded a game-high 10, while Tage Thompson had six.
Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky said most of the 44 were a little late.
"I feel like all of their hits happen after the plays," the top-line winger said. "Especially me, I mean, I made a play, and then, three seconds after, I got hit. ... Sometimes, you've got to take a hit to make a play."
Thompson struggled in the loss, finishing at minusâ4 and turned the puck over by simply falling to the ice, leading to Alexandre Carrier's third-period goal that made the 4-1 lead insurmountable.
Q&A
What mistakes did the Sabres make in Game 2 against the Canadiens?
The Sabres struggled with puck management, leading to a heavy loss of 5-1 in Game 2.
How many hits did the Sabres record in Game 2 against Montreal?
The Sabres recorded 44 hits in Game 2, compared to the Canadiens' 18.
What is the current series status between the Sabres and Canadiens?
The series is currently tied at one game apiece as they head into Game 3.
Who had the most hits for the Sabres in Game 2?
Mattias Samuelsson led the Sabres with a game-high of 10 hits in Game 2.
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"I just wasn't executing," said Thompson. "I think everything I touched turned into disaster tonight. So, tough one. I've got to be better."
Added Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff: "Three or four of the goals were just the result of bad puck play. You just can't beat yourself."
Coach Martin St. Louisâ Canadiens head home to Quebec with all the momentum after wresting home-ice advantage from the Sabres after their 109-point season, second only to the Carolina Hurricanes' 113 in a standout showing by the Eastern Conference.
Alex Newhook and Mike Matheson tallied within the first five minutes of Game 2, scoring less than three minutes apart as Buffalo's defense and goaltender Alex Lyon collapsed. Newhook added another early in the second.
It was the start the Habs needed to even the series and carry momentum home after an exhausting first-round win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
Goalie Jakub Dobes, outstanding in stopping 181 of 196 shots (.923 save percentage) against the Lightning, denied 28 of 29 against the Sabres on Friday.
The Czech goaltender said the whole squad was inspired by an "unbelievable" pregame speech by St. Louis but would not reveal its nature.
However, second-line center Jake Evans spilled the beans.
"He just said it's going to be a war out there and we've got to play like it," Evans told Sportsnet. "I don't know if it was meant to be more physical, but we were all just (mentally) dialed in from the start."
Montreal countered by holding a blocked-shot edge, 18-11, with defensemen Noah Dobson and Matheson posting nearly half of them with five and three, respectively.
Matheson's tally was the game-winning one, but the 2012 first-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers (23rd overall) said Dobes was typically instrumental.
"He brings a lot of energy to our team," said Matheson, a Pointe-Claire, Que., native who has one goal, one assist and 12 penalty minutes in nine playoff matches this postseason. "He kind of exudes a lot of swagger into our lineup."
The Sabres' Sam Carrick, out with an arm injury after fighting New York Islanders captain Anders Lee on March 31, is "on the cusp," according to Ruff, of slotting back in following a return to practice Tuesday.
