Montreal, Quebec (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Sabres skate into Montreal on Monday for their game against the Canadiens with a two-game winning streak.
In the Sabres' 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday, they went 7-for-7 on the penalty kill, and lead the NHL at 95.7%.
They also are 5-for-7 on the power play lately after starting 0-for-11. Buffalo is sixth overall with the extra man at 27.8%.
Injuries keep piling up for the Sabres, as winger Justin Danforth and defenseman Jacob Bryson are now out. That will put forward Noah Ostlund into the lineup, as well as either defensemen Zac Jones or Zach Metsa on defense.
Sabres goalie Alex Lyon has played every minute so far this season in goal, and has a 2.43 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. He’ll, once again, get the call on Monday.
After just two games, winger Zach Benson leads the team in scoring with no goals and five assists. In his last two games, forward Josh Doan has two goals and three assists to tie Benson.
Meanwhile, captain Rasmus Dahlin, as well as forwards Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch all have four points in three games.
After the Florida win on Saturday, Doan discussed how he loves being in chaos. So what is his definition of chaos?
"Throughout the game, there is bouncing pucks, there’s loose puck battles, rebounds are available, and to be in the middle of that, for me, it’s the part of the game that’s not the prettiest style or side of the game," Doan said on Monday. "So just being involved in those little areas and winning those extra battles that give you puck possessions and give you opportunities."
From where I was sitting, when Doan and Benson are doing those things, teammates notice, and Doan feels it becomes contagious.
"When guys see [Benson] do it, and if I get to the net and then you get a guy on each line going to the net, it kind of drags the rest of your line in, and the other lines see that and they want to follow suit," Doan explained. "Once you see the opportunities that guys get around the net, it drives you and drags you there. You’re like, ‘He’s getting opportunities there, I want to see what I can get.’"
Doan no longer plays hockey in Utah or Arizona. Being in Buffalo, he knows it’s a blue collar city, and he couldn’t be happier to play for fans like that.
"I’ve had a great time," Doan said. "Living downtown right by the water has been awesome, and getting an opportunity to get out and walk around that area has been cool.
"It’s a blue collar town, and the way I want to play and the way I was brought up is that style. You can build off of that, and build a culture off that. At the end of the day, this city supports teams that work hard, and they just want to see good effort. We’re going to take pride and show that we care."
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff says winger Beck Malenstyn is not with the team in Montreal, indicating there may be an addition to his family in the very near future.
Last season, it was Sam Montemeault who played so well in goal to lift the Canadiens to a playoff appeaarance. The Habs are still 4-2-0 this season, despite him playing poorly.
That puts Jakub Dobes in net on Monday against the Sabres. He’s 2-0-0 so far with a 1.46 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
Injuries are starting to hit the Canadiens too, as defenseman Kaiden Guhle is out 4-to-6 weeks, while forwards Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach are day-to-day.
Montreal’s offense is coming from the places you’d expect, and Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki both have eight points in six games.
Tune in during “Schopp and the Bulldog” for pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6:30 p.m. when you’ll hear from Ruff, Doan and Tyson Kozak.
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