Here are my three takeaways from Montreal’s 6-3 Game 5 win over the Buffalo Sabres, brought to you by Snap Bar Sportif in Rigaud.
1. St. Louis sticks with his guy
Everyone immediately started thinking about a potential goalie change when Jakub Dobes allowed three goals on the first four shots of the game. But once again, Martin St. Louis showed he has a great feel for both his team and his goaltenders.
Dobes could be given a bit of a pass on the first couple goals, but the third one scored by Konsta Helenius is one you absolutely want your goalie to stop.
To Dobes’ credit, he bounced back. He weathered the storm for the rest of the first period and slammed the door shut the rest of the way. One of the best traits a goalie can have is the ability to immediately forget a bad goal, and Dobes did exactly that.
Sometimes goaltenders are remembered more for the big saves than the bad goals. The perfect example came with Buffalo leading 3-2 when Tage Thompson broke in alone. Dobes stayed patient, outwaited him on the forehand move, and made a huge save to keep the deficit at one. Moments later, Montreal tied the game.
Had Buffalo scored a fourth in the opening period, maybe Jacob Fowler makes his NHL playoff debut. Instead, Dobes reset himself and gave Montreal a chance to come back.
2. The top line fills the scoresheet
Montreal’s top line has been under the microscope all playoffs, especially their production at 5-on-5. But Game 5 was exactly what the Canadiens needed.
Cole Caufield stayed hot, scoring for a third straight game and finally getting his first even-strength goal of the postseason. Nick Suzuki once again showed tremendous patience with the puck before sliding another perfect setup onto Caufield’s tape, while Juraj Slafkovsky deserves credit for keeping the play alive to start the sequence.
After seven power-play opportunities in Game 4, whistles were much quieter in this one as Buffalo played a far more disciplined game. But the first penalty they did take was a brutal one by Tage Thompson, who continues to struggle.
Montreal made them pay quickly. Slafkovsky made a terrific play in tight to set up Suzuki for what turned into a massive goal and a real backbreaker for Buffalo. The Canadiens finished 2-for-2 on the power play.
Montreal is still waiting for Slafkovsky’s first even-strength goal of the series, but he was excellent again with three assists and nearly scored himself after ringing one off the post early in the second period.
This season has been a constant example of Montreal fixing problems on the fly. Every time it feels like a player or part of the game needs correcting, they seem to find an answer.
3. Ivan Demidov finally breaks through
Ivan Demidov finally scored his first career playoff goal, and you could feel it coming for a while now.
While he’s been producing assists and helping the power play, he had gone 11 playoff games this postseason without scoring after also failing to score in five playoff games against Washington last year. That made it 16 straight playoff games without a goal.
The important thing is it was never for a lack of effort. Demidov was arguably Montreal’s most dangerous offensive player all night and was constantly generating chances. In fact, before finally scoring, he had recorded 32 scoring chances, the most of any player in the playoffs without a goal.
Earlier in the game, it looked like he might finally get one when a puck trickled behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but Jake Evans gave it the final shove over the line.
In the third period, Demidov left no doubt. He got the puck in the high slot and ripped a perfect wrist shot past Alex Lyon, who had entered in relief of Luukkonen.
And if Demidov starts getting hot offensively, he could quickly become a nightmare matchup for opposing teams. There simply aren’t many players who can create offence the way he can.
Considering how disastrous the opening minutes looked for Montreal, it’s hard to imagine a better outcome than the one they got in Game 5.
