The Buffalo Sabres are preparing for the second round of the NHL playoffs where they’ll face a familiar Atlantic Division rival, the Montreal Canadiens.
After a couple of days to regroup, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said Buffalo will be ready for the challenge Montreal poses.
“Preparations are starting; you have to mentally get dialed in again. We are ready," said Dahlin. "We know them, they know us. So it's going to be a battle. It comes down to compete. It comes down to who wants it more every shift. Puck battles, box outs, stuff like that. It's going to be so tight, so it'll take a lot to score goals in the series, I think.”
Montreal is coming into Buffalo after a long series with Tampa Bay, which it won in Sunday's Game 7.
The Sabres, on the other hand, defeated Boston in six games. Buffalo was a road warrior, only winning one game at KeyBank Center in the first-round series.
Head Coach Lindy Ruff said Buffalo will be looking to improve its play on home ice.
"Our home game has to be better," he said. "That's controlling emotions, I think sometimes your home fans can drive you to a crazier level of play, maybe even a reckless level of play. We need to get our home game in a better place. We're going to have to win games in this building.”
Buffalo will also look to improve its power play. The unit went 0-for-14 in the first three games, scoring as one power play expired in Game 4 and registering an official power play goal in Game 5.
"We've got to improve that. There's a good part of both sides of the special teams that we need to improve," said Ruff. "This isn't about just moving on to the next series; we have to improve some stuff."
Ruff shared good news on Monday morning: Forward Sam Carrick has been improving from an arm injury and could practice Tuesday. Carrick was initially expected to miss all of the second round. Noah Ostlund, who has been out since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 5 versus Boston, is still out and not expected to return during the Montreal series.
Game 1 between the Sabres and Canadiens is Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside KeyBank Center.
It also was announced Monday that Dahlin has been selected as a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. It is awarded every year to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport of hockey.
While having a memorable season on the ice, Dahlin has faced hardship and adversity off it. His fiancée, Carolina Matovac, underwent an emergency heart transplant this past summer that also resulted in a lost pregnancy. She was eventually able to join Dahlin in Buffalo in March.
The level of adversity was not lost on Ruff.
“I am so happy for him and a number of guys, but for Rasmus to get drafted here, to develop here, to want to stay here, to finally get to feel what it's like to be in the playoffs as a Buffalo Sabre," Ruff said. "But for [Dahlin], with the year he has had and the adversity he has faced, I am so glad that we are right here right now.”
The award winner will be announced in June.
