Goaltending the Difference Maker
Jakub Dobes outplaying Andrei Vasilevskiy was the ultimate difference maker inGame 7.
Tampa Bay controlled more of the puck throughout the series, especially in Game 7. But Dobes' 28 saves on Sunday were enough to get the job done and send Montreal to the second round.
A Tight Series
Dispatching a team the quality of the Tampa Bay Lightning was no small feat. After seven games, the daylight between these two teams was non-existent.
Power-play goals were five apiece. The Canadiens were one goal better at even strength, outscoring the Lightning 11-to-10.
Top Line Struggled Against Lightning
It's been rare—perhaps exceptionally rare—that Montreal's young guns at the top of the lineup were held in check like they were against Tampa Bay.
The main reason Montreal was so competitive all year was because of their dynamic trio at the top of the lineup. Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky formed one of the league's deadliest lines.
That was not the case against Tampa Bay. The Lightning threw a heavy dose of Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Kucherov against Montreal's best line—and had tremendous success.
Montreal's top line was four goals underwater in the series. Without the trio of Kirby Dach and Zach Bolduc outscoring Tampa Bay 6-0 in their minutes, Montreal might not be talking about a second-round appearance.
Depth Stepped Up When Needed
Part of winning in the postseason is not relying on the same few players to outperform every single night.
Give credit to Montreal's depth for picking up the slack when the team needed it most.
Bigger Challenge Against Buffalo
Montreal will need Dobes to outplay Alex Lyon and Buffalo in the second round. But to dispatch this Sabres team, Montreal urgently needs to get its top line going.
Buffalo is a different sort of problem. They may not have an elite five-man matchup unit like Tampa Bay, but they have incredible depth and will be able to roll three lines and three pairings confidently.
You won't find many lineups deeper than this group. That's going to create problems for Montreal's depth players, too.
What Montreal Needs to Advance
In short: Montreal survived the first round on elite goaltending and depth scoring. Advancing against Buffalo will require their star trio to reclaim their dominance.
The Canadiens are going to need more from their big guns if they want to upset the Sabres in round two.
Data via Natural Stat Trick, NHL.com, Evolving Hockey, Hockey Reference