Zach Benson and the Buffalo Sabres are incredibly entertaining to watch, just like their second-round opponents, the Montreal Canadiens.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After two games, it’s clear this series is a visual treat, and we haven’t even seen both teams at their peak on the same night.
However, one thing stands out: There’s plenty of open ice. The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres both prioritize puck possession and quick offensive attacks. It’s all about moving forward.
“I feel like these are two teams with a similar DNA,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
“We’re (both) fast, deep, skilled teams,” Habs center Jake Evans added.
The series is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Sunday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, with both teams adjusting to a completely new dynamic compared to their first-round matchups.
“It’s funny because playing Boston in the first round, they just play a completely different style of game, right?” said Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram. “They’re more defense-oriented, they sit back in the neutral zone, they try to slow the game down, clog it up a bit. First game against these guys, it was like, ‘Oh wow, this is fun hockey.’ Going back for a few pucks, you’re kind of like, ‘Oh, I forgot that some teams forecheck.'”
“It’s definitely an adjustment,” added Byram. “But I agree, it feels like we’re looking into the mirror a bit with that team over there.”
Fans love watching two teams at their best when they’re flying, and the players feed off that energy.
“Us and Montreal play a pretty similar style of hockey,” said Sabres star Tage Thompson. “Both really aggressive, good-skating teams that like to make plays. The flip side of that is there’s usually odd-man rushes.”
“There’s definitely more plays to be made out there. It feels like there’s a little bit more open ice in the neutral zone.”
How much more ice? Consider Juraj Slafkovský’s response after Game 2, when compared to the tight-checking series against Tampa Bay.
“I feel like, especially in the O-zone, we have a lot more time,” the 22-year-old Canadiens forward said. “We never know, it might change, it might not; but these two games, it felt like we had more time in the O-zone to make plays. … I feel like if we have space, we’re confident and skilled enough to use it to our advantage.”
Byram played in one of the most exciting Stanley Cup finals in June 2022, when his Colorado Avalanche beat the Lightning in a six-game series that was full of skill, speed, and smart two-way hockey.
“Obviously, Colorado and Tampa, very detailed, structured teams,” Byram said. “They’re well-coached. They play the game the right way. They play fast. They attack. They don’t sit back. I don’t mean that in a negative way towards other teams, but I just think they play an exciting style of hockey. I feel like throughout the year we’ve kind of morphed into that. And Montreal is definitely a team like that.”
Tampa played that way in 2022 before evolving into a more physical, shutdown team. Montreal learned firsthand in the first round how effective the Lightning can be defensively.
“The Tampa series was so detailed, they play a very low-risk game, and we had to do the same,” Habs captain Nick Suzuki said.
