Where The Pressure Lands
Montreal needed seven games to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning and now faces Buffalo in the next round.
Jakub Dobes made 28 saves in the clincher, while Andrei Vasilevskiy could not match the consistency on the other side. It is telling that the goaltender became the decisive factor in the series.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
Both clubs finished with identical power‑play output, and the Canadiens held a slim 11‑to‑10 edge in even‑strength goals.
The Detail That Tilts It
The top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky was largely quiet against Tampa Bay, generating far fewer scoring chances than usual.
Depth paid off when Alex Texier, Kirby Dach and Zach Bolduc outscored Tampa Bay 6‑0 in their minutes, providing the secondary lift the team needed.
If Montreal is to beat Buffalo, the star trio will have to regain its form. The Sabres can roll three lines and three pairings, a depth that caused problems for the Boston Bruins in round one.
What The Result Leaves
The Canadiens advanced on elite goaltending and unexpected contributions from the bench, but lasting progress hinges on Caufield, Suzuki and Slafkovsky rediscovering their rhythm.