Double Header With Buffalo Ahead

Jakub Dobes – Photo credit: Jerome Miron Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens have a couple of dates with the Buffalo Sabres ahead. So far this season, Martin St-Louis’ men have beaten their divisional rival twice, once by the skin of their teeth in November 7-5 and in dominant fashion by a 6-1 score in December. Patrik Laine scored a hat trick on that night, and the Sabres looked like they were going through the motions.

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Two and a half months later, Buffalo sits 29th in the league, eight points behind the Canadiens, who are 23rd. Buffalo is five points out of a playoff spot, but there are three teams to overtake in the standings.

On Friday, Montreal announced that center Kirby Dach had undergone right knee surgery and wouldn’t return this season. The team elected not to give any more details, simply stating he was expected to be back for the start of next season. This is the same knee he was operated on last season, and it’s quite a setback for the 24-year-old, who has a lot to prove before his contract expires at the end of next season. In the meantime, could Kent Hughes be tempted to revisit the Dylan Cozens idea?

The Habs have won three games since returning from the Four Nations Face-Off, while the Sabres have won two out of three. Montreal has won seven of the last 10 games between the two sides.

Josh Anderson missed practice on Friday, and Micheal Pezzetta filled his spot next to Brendan Gallagher and Christian Dvorak. Dach’s spot belongs to Owen Beck until further notice, and so far, the youngster has been impressive in the role.

Jakub Dobes will be manning the net. He’s never faced Buffalo, but he has a 5-2-1 record this season, with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. There’s no word yet as to whom he’ll be taking on. Ukko-Pekka Luukonen has a 1-2-0 record with a 5.15 GAA and a .829 SP when facing the Habs. As for backup James Reimer, he’s 9-8-0 with a 2.99 GAA and a .909 SP.

Up front, Brendan Gallagher is the Canadiens’ most productive player against the Sabres with 24 points in 41 games, followed by Laine, who has 13 points in 13 tilts, and Nick Suzuki, who also has 13 points but in 15 games.

As for the Sabres, Alex Tuch leads the pack with 16 points in 16 games, while Tage Thompson and Jason Zucker each have 15, the former in 14 games and the latter in 21 matchups.

Even though Montreal won its last game against the San Jose Sharks, they gave an uneven performance, which annoyed their bench boss who shouted at his men at practice Friday morning:

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We’ve rarely seen St. Louis lose his cool; seeing how his men react to his outburst will be interesting. The game is set for 7:00 PM in Buffalo, and both teams will then head back to Montreal for the second game, which is also scheduled for 7:00 PM on Monday.

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