Sabres rediscover their power play in 2nd-round series-opening win over Montreal

TL;DR

The Buffalo Sabres improved their power play significantly, scoring 2 of 3 opportunities in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the playoffs. This marks a turnaround from their previous struggles in the first round against Boston.

Key points

Sabres scored 2 of 3 power-play opportunities
Buffalo won 4-2 against Montreal in the second round
McLeod scored and assisted on power-play goals

Mentioned in this story

Lindy RuffMartin St. Louis

Buffalo SabresMontreal Canadiens

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Sabres forward Ryan McLeod didn’t mind fielding questions about Buffalo’s power-play production on Wednesday night. A unit that converted just 1 of 24 opportunities in its six-game first-round playoff series against Boston went from being anemic to prolific in a 4-2 second-round series-opening win against Montreal. Buffalo finished 2 of 3 with the man advantage against the Canadiens. McLeod scored on the Sabres’ second opportunity before setting up Bowen Byram’s goal on the next one to build a 4-1 lead. “Maybe keep asking, if we’re going to keep scoring now,” McLeod said with a laugh to reporters. “Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. But it’s a process of building it and getting your look. So I think, we got them tonight.” The Sabres host Game 2 of the series on Friday night. Buffalo’s power play was so bad in the first round, the Sabres’ 4.2% conversion rate was tied for 865th out of 897 teams that had 20 or more opportunities in a playoff series since 1978. The struggles actually carried over from the final seven regular-season games during which the team went 0 for 22. “It was hit or miss throughout the last couple of games there, and tonight was one of those nights where we had to get more pucks back in retrievals,” Josh Doan said. Though Buffalo’s top unit, featuring and , had difficulty generating offensive-zone pressure against Montreal, the second unit delivered. Doan played a key role in setting up McLeod’s power-play goal to put Buffalo ahead 2-0 with a power-play goal 13:26 into the first period. Doan won a puck battle in front of the Canadiens’ net by pushing the puck into an open spot to the left, where teammate immediately fed a pass through the crease to set up McLeod. Then it was McLeod’s turn, setting up Byram’s goal 9:01 into the second period. After batting down ’s clearing attempt, McLeod chased down the puck and fed Byram, who scored from between the circles. “Just trying to keep it in the zone any way I could,” McLeod said. “I just kind of get a little lucky sometimes, but it was nice to get that one.” A change in opponent may have benefited the Sabres. Montreal finished the regular season ranked 18th with a 78.2% penalty-killing rate. And the Canadiens were coming off a seven-game, first-round series win over Tampa Bay in which the converted 5 of 29 power-play opportunities. Montreal coach chalked up Buffalo’s power-play success to fortunate bounces. “I felt like we killed pretty well on entries and stuff, and didn’t feel like they beat us with some of the looks that they like, so that’s a positive,” said. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff liked what he saw. “We took advantage of some good breaks, made a couple of good plays,” Ruff said, noting Dahlin hit the crossbar on one opportunity. \\_ AP NHL: and

Q&A

How did the Sabres' power play perform against the Canadiens?

The Sabres converted 2 of 3 power-play opportunities in their 4-2 win over the Canadiens.

What was the Sabres' power play conversion rate in the first round against Boston?

The Sabres had a conversion rate of just 4.2%, scoring only 1 of 24 power-play opportunities in the first round.

Who scored for the Sabres during their power play against Montreal?

Ryan McLeod scored one power-play goal and assisted on Bowen Byram's goal during the game against Montreal.

Sabres rediscover their power play in 2nd-round series-opening win over Montreal

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

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