Canadiens fall to Sabres 4-2 in Game 1 of second-round series
Buffalo beats Montreal 4-2 in Game 1, jumping ahead with early power-play goals Canadiens look to respond in Game 2 as the Sabres aim to keep control
Buffalo beat Montreal 42 on Wednesday night in Game 1 of their secondround NHL playoff series, with Bowen Byram and Ryan McLeod scoring on backtoback power plays to help the Sabres take control early.
The Canadiens, who had just come through a tight sevengame firstround series against Tampa Bay, found a very different matchup in Buffalo. The game opened up with more rush chances and less physical play, and Montreal struggled to slow the Sabres' puck movement through the neutral zone.
Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach scored for Montreal, while Alex Lyon made 26 saves for Buffalo. Coach Martin St. Louis said his team had more space to work with offensively than it did in the previous round, but acknowledged that a midgame stretch hurt the Canadiens and allowed Buffalo to build a 41 lead.
The Sabres now lead the bestofseven series 10, and Montreal will try to respond in Game 2 on Friday.