The Atlantic division all year has been a pleasure to watch and Buffalo and Montreal are keeping up with that trend. On the other side of the Eastern conference Carolina is sitting at home waiting to see who comes out of this dog fight. There are a lot of storylines forming for both teams. Can Cole Caufield or Tage Thompson find the back of the net? Has Buffalo fixed their powerplay?
Montreal stars in hibernation
A lot of focus has been on Cole Caufield not finding the back of the net, but looking at Montreal there are a few more stars who aren't scoring. Slafkovsky hasn't scored since his hat trick back in Game 1 of round 1 vs Tampa Bay and has 1 point in his last 8 games. Demidov is a young star but 2 points in 9 games with PP1 time is not ideal. And Cole Caufield, a 51-goal scorer this year, has just 1 goal in the last 9 games. He last scored on the powerplay on April 26th.
If these 3 can add bonus scoring for Montreal, Buffalo will be in deep trouble. Montreal is still finding ways to win, which is a testament to how well their team game is structured. But you need your stars to stand out.
Tage Thompson and the Buffalo top line
Buffalo has their own scoring issues. Tage Thompson, gold medal winner and points leader for Buffalo this year, last found the back of the net in Game 1 vs Boston on April 19th (twice that night). He sits with 7 points in 9 playoff games which means he is finding ways to get on the score sheet, but he has not registered a point vs Montreal.
Rumors that he is hurt are starting to circle. When it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs, playing injured is no excuse for players. We have seen stars with pulled muscles, lacerations and broken bones lift Lord Stanley while still impacting each game with skill. If Tage can start scoring and pull more attention from Montreal's defense, it might open things up for the rest of the Sabres to set up plays.
The powerplay problem
Along with Tage's struggles, the Buffalo powerplay has been horrible. Poor entries, booing fans, the works. They sit dead last among the teams still alive, scoring at just 9.4% on the PP. The Ducks lead the teams remaining at 29.6%. Special teams always play a huge role in the playoffs. If Buffalo can not figure out their powerplay they might find themselves watching the Eastern conference final from home.
The Bell Centre
One of the last storylines is the Montreal fans. There is no better building to play in right now than the Bell Centre. The fans in Montreal are as loud, knowledgeable and passionate as any fanbase in the world. Buffalo walks into a hostile environment.
Buffalo has one thing going for them coming into Montreal. Going back to round 1, Montreal wins one and loses the next. I hope that trend doesn't continue because I would love to watch this series go all the way. Carolina might not love that. The final game of this series would come on May 18th. Almost 2 weeks after they locked a seat in the conference final.
If you are a hockey fan, this series is everything you wanted. I look forward to continuing coverage of great hockey and amazing stories. Who do you have taking Game 3, and who do you have winning this series?