Sabres visit Canadiens in early test for two uneven teams
Key takeaways
- Buffalo visits Montreal on Tuesday night at 6:30 PM ET. The Sabres play without captain Rasmus Dahlin.
- Both teams have had a mixed start. Buffalo sits at 3-3-0, and Montreal sits at 2-2-1.
- Jacob Fowler starts in goal for Montreal. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is set to start for Buffalo.
The Buffalo Sabres visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. The game starts at 6:30 PM ET at Bell Centre in Montreal. Both teams want a steadier start to the season.
Buffalo comes in at 3-3-0 with six points, according to The Hockey News Montreal comes in at 2-2-1 with five points Neither team has found a steady rhythm yet.
That makes this early game a real test.
What to watch
Buffalo plays its second game in two nights The team beat Florida 5-3 on Monday afternoon That win gave Buffalo some hope.
But travel and tired legs can hurt a team.
Montreal had a day to rest Montreal beat Detroit 1-0 in a shootout on Saturday Die by the Blade reported the result.
A shootout is a tiebreaker after overtime Each team takes turns with solo shots on goal The team with more goals wins the game.
A fast start matters for Buffalo Tired teams often fall behind early The Sabres need to keep the game simple.
They need to get pucks deep and chase them down Pucks are the small black discs used in hockey.
The last meeting between these teams was big Montreal ended Buffalo's season in Game 7 last spring, according to Die by the Blade Alex Newhook scored the winner in overtime.
Overtime means extra time after a tie Buffalo will remember that night.
Montreal plays at home in front of loud fans Home crowds can lift a team They can also add pressure.
The Canadiens need a full effort for 60 minutes Hockey games last 60 minutes of play time.
Why it matters
Early points count in the NHL The NHL is the top hockey league in North America Teams play 82 games in the regular season.
The regular season decides who reaches the playoffs.
Both teams play in the Atlantic Division That is a group of eight teams in the east Division games carry extra weight.
A win here helps twice It lifts one team and holds back a rival.
Buffalo wants to prove its depth Depth means the team can win without its stars The Sabres are without their captain tonight.
A win would show that others can step up It would also build belief after a mixed start.
Montreal wants to prove it can score more The team has strong talent up front But the results have been mixed so far.
A strong home win would calm early nerves It would also give fans hope for the long season.
Lineups and injuries
Buffalo will miss its captain Rasmus Dahlin is out with an upper-body injury He is listed as day to day, according to The Hockey News.
Day to day means the team checks him each day He did not travel with the team to Montreal.
Owen Power must fill the gap He has seven points in six games That is one goal and six assists.
An assist is a pass that leads to a goal Mattias Samuelsson will also play a bigger role on defense Defense is the job of stopping the other team.
Buffalo has more injury problems Alex Lyon, Conor Timmins, and Jason Zucker are also out Matt Grzelcyk sits on injured reserve.
Injured reserve is a list for hurt players These losses test the whole roster The roster is the full list of players.
Montreal has injury problems too Ivan Demidov, Mike Matheson, and Samuel Montembeault are out Florian Xhekaj is also out, according to Habs Eyes on the Prize.
That list includes key players at every spot Montreal must lean on its healthy players.
Owen Beck joined the team from Laval Laval is Montreal's minor league team Beck is set to play his first game of the season.
A debut can bring fresh energy The team hopes he can carry over his strong play.
The top lines are set for both teams Buffalo pairs Peyton Krebs with Tage Thompson and Josh Doan Thompson leads Buffalo with four goals in six games.
Montreal's top line is Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky Suzuki leads Montreal with seven points in five games, according to The Hockey News.
Special teams and goalies
Special teams could decide this game A power play happens when one team has more players on the ice The other team lost a player to a penalty.
A penalty is a rule break that costs a player time A penalty kill is the short-handed team's job on defense.
Buffalo's power play is waking up The team scored three goals on its last eight chances, according to The Hockey News That run covers the last two games.
A power-play goal tonight would stretch the streak to three games.
Montreal's power play has struggled badly The team has scored once on 17 chances That is the worst rate in the league.
But Montreal has the talent to fix it fast Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson can all score.
Buffalo's penalty kill is a worry The team stops only 60 percent of opposing power plays That ranks near the bottom of the league.
Montreal kills 76.2 percent of penalties Both teams must stay out of the penalty box The penalty box is where punished players sit.
The goalies matter too Jacob Fowler starts for Montreal, according to Die by the Blade He has a 1.46 goals-against average.
That number shows goals allowed per game Lower is better for a goalie.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is set to start for Buffalo He took over in relief on Monday Relief means he entered after the first goalie left.
Colten Ellis started Monday but left early Luukkonen made 13 saves in relief, according to Die by the Blade A save is when the goalie stops a shot.
How to watch
Fans in the Montreal region can watch on TSN2 in English RDS carries the game in French, according to Habs Eyes on the Prize Fans in the Buffalo region can watch on MSG Buffalo.
Streaming options include ESPN+, RDS, and TSN+.
The game is part of Frozen Frenzy All 32 NHL teams play on the same night That makes it a busy night for hockey fans.
The Golden Knights vs Wild game is one more game that night Fans can flip between games all evening.
Check local listings before puck drop Puck drop means the start of the game Times can shift with TV plans.
Early check-ins save last-minute stress.
What happens next
Buffalo faces Toronto on Thursday The Sabres then meet Montreal again on Saturday, according to Die by the Blade Points in these games matter early.
Each win builds belief.
Early NHL nights have brought late drama See our Senators vs Devils recap Buffalo wants a calmer night this time.
The team wants two points and no new injuries Two points go to the winner of each game.
Montreal wants to build on its shootout win A home win would lift the team to an even record It would also set up a strong week.
The Canadiens play Buffalo again in a few days A split would feel like a missed chance.
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