‘Way different’: Canadiens fall to Sabres in wide-open Game 1 after tight first round

BUFFALO — Nick Suzuki and his teammates have been used to grinding playoff games with almost zero margin for error this spring.

The Canadiens emerged from a razor-thin, seven-game slugfest with the battle-tested Tampa Bay Lightning in a matchup of intestinal fortitude — one that included four overtime thrillers and three other one-goal results.

Suzuki expected much of the same heading into Montreal’s second-round opener against the Buffalo Sabres.

“Both teams have shown that they can defend really well all year,” Suzuki said Wednesday morning. “The team that defends the best will have the best shot.”

After a free-flowing contest that looked nothing like the last seven chalked off on their post-season schedule, the Canadiens will now look to regroup and recharge following a Game 1 setback.

Zach Benson set up two goals in the first period and Alex Lyon made 26 saves to push Buffalo to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“Way different … less physical, more hockey plays,” said Montreal centre Phillip Danault, whose team will look to get back on level terms Friday in Game 2. “Possession was huge, even bigger. We chased a little more than we did against Tampa.”

Unlike the curtain-raiser with the Sabres, the Canadiens and Lightning rarely had sustained offensive zone time, while the middle of the ice Wednesday must have looked like an eight-lane highway compared to the last two weeks in a game that saw the teams trade chances and clank numerous shots off posts or crossbars.

Buffalo also has a lot of quick, puck-moving defencemen led by Rasmus Dahlin, Bowen Byram and Owen Power — a unit the Canadiens will need to figure out in short order.

“Definitely felt like this was a little bit more of an open, rush game,” said Montreal centre Kirby Dach, who scored late in the second period to cut the deficit to 4-2. “We gotta do a better job of taking away that rush and limiting their (blueliners joining) the offence.”

Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis said a benefit of the change in style is his group’s top players, including Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Ivan Demidov, had a lot more territory to operate in Buffalo’s end.

“They haven’t had this kind of space for two weeks,” said St. Louis, whose club beat Tampa 2-1 in Game 7 with just nine shots on target. “We did spend some good amount of time there. We’re going to have to do a better job with the time that we spend there.

“We’re just going to keep going.”

Despite going down 2-0 inside the game’s first 13 1/2 minutes, St. Louis said a middle-period lull that saw the Canadiens go from a 2-1 deficit to a 4-1 hole was the difference.

“There’s 10, 12 minutes in the second that I feel like we got hurt,” he said. “You’re not going to just dominate Buffalo the whole game. It’s a game of momentum.

“Make sure that when we lose the momentum … get it back as fast as you can. But (also) don’t get hurt too bad when that happens.”

Canadiens blueliner Alexandre Carrier, who gave Jordan Greenway far too much space for the gritty winger to find his range on the Sabres’ third goal, said the neutral zone was a different beast compared to the Lightning.

“They went to the rush game … they’re pretty good at it, too,” Carrier said. “We gotta make sure we get on top of those Ds. They love jumping the plays. But I think the biggest difference is the rush game. They love to play with the puck.”

The Canadiens had plenty of it as well Wednesday. They just need to do more — and figure out the Sabres’ free-flowing attack.

“I’m confident that we can play any style,” St. Louis said. “I’m confident that we can play the game that’s in front of us. And I’m confident that we can learn from this one and be better.”

TURNING THE PAGE

Montreal had an off-day in Florida after winning Game 7 before practising and then flying north. Danault said there are lessons for a group that’s mostly in the second round for the first time.

“Little learning process for our team, a young group,” he said. “But we didn’t play that bad. They just scored two quick goals on two Grade-As.

“We know what we’re capable of … we didn’t show all our strength.”

SOLO EFFORT

Dach’s goal in the second that gave Montreal life came on a sequence where he chipped the puck past Lyon as the big forward tumbled to the ice.

“It was a hell of an effort just to stay with that,” Suzuki said. “Pretty incredible.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2026.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press