Let’s take a closer look at the Buffalo Sabres

Marc-Olivier Cook
Let’s take a closer look at the Buffalo Sabres
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

The Montreal Canadiens will face off against the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs.

At first glance, it's easy to imagine that the series could be a close one.

Both teams have strong lineups and players who can make a difference. Right now, it's hard to predict a winner… and that shows the series should be really exciting for fans of both teams.

Before the series against the Lightning began, I wrote an article analyzing the Lightning. Why not do the same with the Sabres?

The Buffalo lineup features talented players. You only have to look at the team's top scorers this season to see that:

  • 81 points (40 goals) for Tage Thompson
  • 74 points (19 goals) for Rasmus Dahlin
  • 66 points (33 goals) for Alex Tuch
  • 54 points (14 goals) for Ryan McLeod
  • 52 points (25 goals) for Josh Doan
  • 51 points (20 goals) for Jack Quinn

Jason Zucker (45), Zachary Benson (43), Bowen Byram (42), and Mattias Samuelsson (41) also recorded over 40 points this season.

This team is more than capable of producing offensively: it's no coincidence that the Sabres finished the regular season ranked 5th in the NHL in goals scored in 2025-2026…

(Credit: Screenshot / NHL.com)

The Sabres, a well-rounded team

The Sabres are dangerous offensively, but they also have one of the best defenses in the National Hockey League.

Dahlin, Samuelsson, Byram, Power… The team's top four is truly solid.

And that explains, in part, why the Sabres had the 4th-best penalty kill efficiency this season. The Canadiens will have to work hard on the power play to score goals…

(Credit: Screenshot / Daily Faceoff)

This series could therefore come down to five-on-five play. And if that's the case… the Canadiens will need to see certain players step up at even strength.

Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov… the Habs' top offensive players will need to find a way to break through at even strength. It was tougher in that regard against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and that needs to be fixed.

Where it gets interesting is on the physical side. The Sabres can hit hard because they're big, but…

But the Sabres finished the season with a total of 1,576 hits, good for 23rd in the NHL. The Habs, meanwhile, finished the season ranked 7th in the league with 1,810 hits…

Can physicality be a game-changer in this series? Absolutely.

But what will make the difference, in my view, is the goaltenders' work in front of the net. If Jakub Dobes continues to be on fire like he has been since the start of the playoffs, it could be tough for the Sabres…


In a nutshell

– Oh yeah?

– Stay tuned.

– This is going to be a good series.

– That's for sure.

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