The Buffalo Sabres were able where they needed to win in Game 4 or they’d go home facing a 3-1 deficit to the Montreal Canadiens. Despite the success that some teams have had in recent times when facing a 3-1 deficit, the Sabres usually are not in that category. No Sabres team has ever come back from even a 2-1 deficit and won a Stanley Cup playoff series.
Head coach Lindy Ruff got his team’s attention and the Sabres wouldn’t succumb to the benefits the Montreal Canadiens had in speed or quickness to the puck. As a substitute, the Sabres battled on even terms for many of the game and proved to be the stronger team within the third period when a hustling Zach Benson scored the winning power play goal nearly five minutes into the third period for a 3-2 victory that squared the series at 2-2.
The Canadiens had momentum and residential ice in Game 4 after picking up victories in Game 2 in Buffalo and Game 3 on the Bell Center. The Canadiens didn’t play a poor game, but that they had a few lapses that the Sabres took advantage of once they needed to make plays. The Sabres were the more desperate team they usually played prefer it. In brief, they wanted it somewhat greater than the Canadiens.
Montreal goes to must tighten up each offensively and defensively in what’s now a better of 3 series. They will need a few their stars — Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson particularly — to step up and play at an elite level when the series resumes Thursday in Buffalo.
Canadiens need Suzuki to point out off his big-play ability
The Canadiens are a team of young stars and that is why they were capable of outlast the Tampa Bay Lightning in the primary round and why they secured wins in two of the primary three games of the series against the Sabres. The brightest star on the team is Nick Suzuki.
While Cole Caufield is a more spectacular goal scorer and Lane Hutson — more on him later — has sensational skating ability, Suzuki is the most effective all-around player on the team.
Suzuki has not been overly productive on this series. He did rating the Habs’ first marker in Game 1 and that allowed Montreal to tug inside one goal at 2-1. Nevertheless, Montreal lost that game by a 4-2 rating.
Suzuki didn’t do much in Montreal’s 5-1 victory in Game 2 or their 6-2 triumph in Game 3. He had an empty net goal in Montreal’s first victory and an empty net assist within the win that followed. Aside from that, he was kept off the scoreboard in those two one-sided victories.
Suzuki didn’t produce in Game 4
Montreal needed far more from Suzuki in Game 4 and he didn’t deliver. He didn’t have a goal or an assist, and he had only one shot during his 24:34 on the ice. Suzuki was not credited with successful so he didn’t exhibit any type of physical play. He was charged with one giveaway but he did have one takeaway. The one positive number Suzuki had was that he won 59.1 percent of his faceoffs.
Even that number is skewed since the Sabres are the worst face-off team within the league.
Overall, Suzuki is second on the team in playoff scoring with 3 goals and 6 assists, but he has a minus-4 rating within the postseason. Suzuki was Montreal’s leading rating in the course of the regular season. He eclipsed the 100-point mark as he has 29 goals and 72 assists and he also had a plus-37 rankings.
Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis needs Suzuki to play to his ability level in Game 5 and beyond for the Habs.
Hutson must do more on the blue line
Suzuki is the Montreal’s best all-around performer, but Hutson is their most dynamic performer on the blue line. In a league that has explosive defensemen like Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Hutson can also be an elite blue liner.
Hutson is Montreal’s leading scorer within the playoffs with 10 points in 11 postseason games. He has put the puck behind the web twice and he also has registered 8 postseason assists. He’s plus-2 in the course of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Nevertheless, he didn’t have his best game against the Sabres in Game 4. He registered an assist on Caufield’s go-ahead goal with seconds to go in the primary period, but that was his only scoring point in the sport. Hutson was on the ice for 28:30 but he didn’t have a shot on goal and he gave the puck away to the Sabres once. He had a ninus-1 rating for the sport.
Hutson’s game is predicated on speed, balance, playmaking and risk-taking. Nevertheless, those risks must be rewarded with scoring opportunities. That was not the case in Game 4 and that aspect has to enhance going forward.
The Buffalo Sabres were able where they needed to win in Game 4 or they’d go home facing a 3-1 deficit to the Montreal Canadiens. Despite the success that some teams have had in recent times when facing a 3-1 deficit, the Sabres usually are not in that category. No Sabres team has ever come back from even a 2-1 deficit and won a Stanley Cup playoff series.