Alexandre Carrier helps Canadiens chase 3-1 lead over Sabres
alexandre carrier sits on the edge of a simple swing game for Montreal. The Canadiens can take a 3-1 series lead over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at home, and a win would leave Montreal one victory from the Eastern Conference final.
Montreal enters with back-to-back wins, 5-1 on the road last Friday and 6-2 at the Bell Centre on Sunday night. Buffalo scored in the first minute of Game 3, but the Canadiens still finished with a wide margin and have held the Sabres to three goals over the last two games.
Kaiden Guhle on Buffalo pressure
Kaiden Guhle said Monday after an optional practice at the Bell Centre that Buffalo knows what is at stake. “It’s the biggest game for them,” Guhle said. “They don’t want to go down 3-1. I think we just have to keep playing our game. Don’t overthink it too much. Not that we were nervous (before), but we might have been playing on our heels a little bit. We’ve got to play on our toes, keep bringing it to them and keep playing our game. We’ll be just fine.”
That message matches what Montreal has already done in the series. The Canadiens beat Buffalo by four goals in Game 2 and then followed with a four-goal win at home, giving Montreal a chance to press the Sabres again before the series shifts further into its decisive stretch.
Martin St. Louis keeps Montreal even-keel
Martin St. Louis said Monday that the Canadiens are trying to avoid getting pulled out of their routine after a win. “It’s hard. Especially in today’s game,” St. Louis said. “It helps our group to stay even-keel. We’re attacking each game with truth. Take the scoreboard out of the equation.”
St. Louis added, “I think we’re equipped to do that.” Montreal has already shown that approach in the opening round, when the Canadiens eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning after a series in which every game was decided by one goal and four games went into overtime. Montreal needed three road wins to advance and later lost Game 4 at home 3-2 before closing out Tampa Bay with a 1-0 overtime loss in Game 6.
Bell Centre return for Game 4
Montreal’s 6-4 post-season record now carries into Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, where the Canadiens can put Buffalo in a deeper hole before the Sabres return home. Jakub Dobes and the Canadiens’ defensive structure have already been part of the series equation, and Buffalo’s young, fast-skating group now has to answer after being held to three goals over the last two games.
The next result at the Bell Centre will either give Montreal its 3-1 stranglehold or let Buffalo pull the series back to level, with Carolina waiting on the other side of the bracket for the winner who keeps moving.
