Joe Veleno Poised for Game 1 as Canadiens Face Sabres in Buffalo — Match Canadien Buffalo
Joe Veleno is poised for his first playoff game as the Canadiens open the match canadien buffalo in Buffalo on Wednesday night. Martin St-Louis appeared ready to alter his lineup for Game 1 after the morning skate, with Brendan Gallagher and Jayden Struble among the reserves and Veleno not there.
St-Louis Shuffles Montreal
The lineup readout points to a change before the first puck drops. Gallagher had played Montreal’s previous three games, while Arber Xhekaj was also away from the reserve group after skating in the first six games against Tampa Bay before losing his spot to Noah Dobson in Game 7.
If Veleno gets in, it will be his first game of the current playoffs. That would put a fresh forward into a series where every shift is likely to be judged against speed, puck control and the space each side gives up.
Montreal And Buffalo Again
The Canadiens and Sabres are meeting in the playoffs for the eighth time in history, and the last playoff meeting came in the second round in the spring of 1997-1998, when Buffalo eliminated Montreal in four games. The teams split their four regular-season meetings two wins apiece, and all four games were decided by two goals with an empty-net goal in the mix.
That history sits beside two offenses that produced all year. Buffalo averaged 3.45 goals per game, fifth in the NHL, while Montreal averaged 3.40, seventh, with Cole Caufield finishing at 51 goals and becoming the first Canadiens player in 36 years to reach 50. Tage Thompson scored 40 for the Sabres, and Alex Tuch stayed productive down the stretch.
Suzuki On The Matchup
Nick Suzuki framed the task in direct terms: "L’équipe qui défendra la mieux se donnera les meilleures chances dans cette série, avance Suzuki." He also said of the Sabres, "Ils ont beaucoup de talent, on doit être prêts à défendre du mieux qu’on peut."
Suzuki singled out Thompson as the player to track closely, saying, "Il aime contrôler la rondelle et patiner en possession de celle-ci, en plus d’avoir un incroyable lancer. Chaque fois qu’il est sur la glace, il faut savoir où il est, le suivre de près et tenter de limiter son espace, un peu comme on l’a fait contre les joueurs de Tampa". Mike Matheson was even shorter about that assignment: "Ça va être une grosse job [pour nous]".
Montreal comes into Game 1 after surviving Tampa Bay in seven games, and the first lineup decision of this series already shows St-Louis is looking for a different mix. If Veleno draws in, the Canadiens will be asking a player with no playoff experience this spring to help settle a series that has already started to turn on defense.
