Canadiens find big difference against Sabres: ‘Space’

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May 7, 2026 - 12:43

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Canadiens find big difference against Sabres: ‘Space’ originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Montreal Canadiens fired only nine shots on goal in their Game 7 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning just to advance and earn a trip to Buffalo for the Eastern Conference semifinal.

In Game 1 on Wednesday night, they looked a lot different, and it wasn’t a coincidence. They outshot the Sabres, even though that didn’t lead to a victory but instead a 4-2 defeat.

Still, Montreal saw more opportunities. They saw, in a word, “space.”

“I thought our top guys got more touches in space,” St. Louis said after the game. “That’s what I liked.”

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St. Louis framed at least some of what went wrong as bad luck, tough bounces and one bad 12-minute stretch in the second period.

Otherwise, he thought his players adjusted well to what Buffalo was doing.

“I’m confident that we can play any style,” St. Louis said. “I’m confident that we can play the team that’s in front of us. And I’m confident that we can learn from this one and be better.”

In the previous series, Tampa Bay matched up its top defensive unit often with the top Montreal line. The Sabres aren’t doing that.

On the one hand, it’s increased flexibility for Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff.

“It’s comforting when I can say that I trust every line to play against everybody,” Ruff said.

On the other hand, it means Montreal may have more opportunities to get matchups it likes for its top players.

“They haven’t had this kind of space in two weeks,” St. Louis said. “We felt that was gonna be the case tonight.”

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The big boys did it on the power play for Montreal for the Canadiens’ first goal, with Juraj Slafkovsky driving and dishing to a Nick Suzuki tap-in.

“Slafkovsky’s one heck of a player,” Ruff said.

The latter goal came from the bottom-six, a ridiculous rebound finish by Kirby Dach as he fell to the ice.

Around those goals, the Canadiens peppered Buffalo goalie Alex Lyon but just couldn’t finish. They had a couple chances on the doorstep that didn’t quite make their way across the line.

“We could be a lot better,” Ruff said. “That includes taking time and ice away.”

Visually, St. Louis’ assessment seemed right, and his counterpart Ruff agreed. The Canadiens really did have space to work.

Whichever team manages that space better the rest of the series very well may be the one that moves on to the Eastern Conference Final.