The Montreal Canadiens are moving on to the second round after dispatching the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven hard-fought games. Now another division rival stands in their way — and it's a different kind of challenge.
Goaltending Made the Difference
When two teams are this close in quality, goaltending becomes the deciding factor more often than not. Jakub Dobes outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy in Game 7, finishing with 28 saves to secure the victory.
The series was defined by parity. Both teams scored five power-play goals, but the Canadiens were slightly better at even strength, outscoring the Lightning 11-to-10. That one-goal margin proved decisive.
Tampa Bay dominated puck possession, especially in the final game, but Dobes made enough stops to get the job done.
Top Line Must Regroup Against Buffalo
The Canadiens will need their star trio firing on all cylinders to eliminate the Buffalo Sabres in round two. Unfortunately, that group was held in check against Tampa Bay.
Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky formed one of the league's deadliest lines all season long — a terrifying combination of playmaking and finishing skill. Against the Lightning, Tampa Bay threw Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Kucherov against Montreal's top line with heavy defensive support, and the strategy worked.
The Canadiens' top line finished four goals underwater in the series. Without depth players like Alex Texier, Kirby Dach, and Zach Bolduc outscoring Tampa Bay 6-0 in their minutes, Montreal wouldn't be advancing.
Depth Carried the Load
Part of winning in the postseason is not relying on the same few players every night. Montreal's depth stepped up when it mattered most, and that's what got them through round one.
But the Canadiens need more from their big guns if they want to upset the Sabres.
Buffalo Presents New Challenge
Buffalo is a different sort of problem. Unlike Tampa Bay, they don't have an elite five-man matchup unit, but they possess incredible depth and can roll three lines and three pairings confidently.
The Sabres showed this in their first-round victory over the Boston Bruins. You won't find many lineups deeper than this group, and that creates problems for Montreal's depth players too.
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.