Canadiens Game 5 Preview: Most Important Game Of The Year
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images The Montreal Canadiens (6-5) will face the Buffalo Sabres (6-4) in Game 5 of their second-round series on Thursday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. Even though the Habs managed to outshoot the Sabres in Game 4, they failed to take advantage of the many powerplay chances they were handed, scoring just once in seven opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Sabres capitalized on two of their four powerplays, earning a 3-2 win in the process. It was far from an ideal game, but there were several positives worth discussing. The first is that the top line enjoyed a legitimately fantastic outing, despite their lack of goals at 5v5.
They controlled more shots than in any other playoff game, to the tune of a 70%+ control of shots, high-danger shots, and expected goals. With that in mind, it’s starting to be a little late in the season to discuss a healthy process. The first line is playing better, but the Habs need goals from their best players, not just solid underlying numbers.
Simply put, the Canadiens won’t be able to advance to the Conference Final without regular 5v5 contributions from Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield. But that’s putting the cart ahead of the horse, for the time being. If the Canadiens are to return to the Bell Centre with 3-2 lead in the series, they’ll need a complete team effort in Game 5, including solid games from their various defensive pairings.
The Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier pairing has struggled in the playoffs, though it must be said they’re facing a very high quality of competition. It’s important to note that the winners of Game 5 in a series that’s tied 2-2 will go on to win the playoff series 80% of the time , making this the most important game of the year of the Canadiens. Potential Lineup Changes Head coach Martin St-Louis does not like to announce roster modifications publicly, which means we must wait until the pre-game warm up to confirm any change to the Canadiens lineup.