How Should the Canadiens Line-up Against the Sabres? Habs vs Sabres Preview

After the incredible series win vs the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, the Canadiens now look to their matchup with the Atlantic Division leading Buffalo Sabres. The Lightning were a strong, physical and battle-hardened team, backed by a decade of playoff experience, including multiple Stanley Cups. But the Canadiens' fountain of youth, blazing speed and non-stop energy allowed them to squeak past the aging Tampa Bay squad in a thrilling 7-Game series.

The Buffalo Sabres, however, are also filled with youth, speed, and size, making them very difficult to play against, especially when dealing with their relentless forecheck. Their previous 14-year playoff drought and lack of experience may give Habs fans confidence, but don't be fooled, this Sabres team is hungry to put their past behind them and will give their all to anyone in their path.

So this begs the question: How should the Habs adjust to the playstyle of the Sabres? Against the Lightning, we saw constant adjustments to the lines from head coach Marty St. Louis as the series went on, including changes to their playstyle, as the squad went into full shutdown mode in Game 7, completely abandoning the high-flying cycle offence that they'd been running all year.

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Montreal essentially played the whole first round without a top line at 5-on-5 due to the Bolts' shutdown line featuring premier defensive center, Anthony Cirelli, paired with the elite defensive tactics of future HOF head coach, John Cooper. The Sabres, however, don't have an Anthony Cirelli to shut down the Habs top players, which should open up the game once again for the top line.

Here is how the Habs should line up for Game 1:

Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky

Alex Newhook - Jake Evans - Ivan Demidov

Alexander Texier - Kirby Dach - Zachary Bolduc

Joe Veleno - Philip Danault - Josh Anderson

Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson

Kaiden Guhle - Lane Hutson

Arber Xhekaj - Alexander Carrier

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Why the roster changes?

Let's start with the two major changes in the insertion of Joe Veleno for Brendan Gallagher and the Insertion of Arber Xhekaj for Jayden Struble.

Look, Brendan Gallagher made an incredible impact when inserted into the lineup for game 5 against Tampa Bay, as his early goal ended up being the difference in the 3-2 win. I completely agree with the move to insert him at that point. However, this series will be all about speed, and Gallagher is easily the slowest forward on the team at this point in his career (Outside of Patrik Laine...). Joe Veleno (Or Oliver Kapanen) absolutely has to be inserted for Game 1, but I would understand if Gally returns later in the seires after some nights of rest, as he did in Round 1. Veleno can also bring valuable defensive ability to help shut down the Sabres' top dogs.

I'm less adamant on the insertion of Arber Xhekaj, as I did agree with the decision to scratch him in Game 7 in favour of Noah Dobson. While this was an unpopular move among the fanbase, Marty St. Louis was certainly correct in doing so, as the Canadiens could not afford to risk his indiscipline and did not need him around for the post-whistle antics, as we knew there wouldn't be as much of that in a game less focused on getting under your opponents' skin, but rather getting your team to the second round. For Game 1, however, I would like to see Xhekaj draw back in to get into the heads of the Sabres players early on in the series, and also help out with the size disadvantage. Nevertheless, I'm not at all opposed to Jayden Struble being the name on the roster sheet, as they both played well and both deserve that spot.

Line Explanations

It's no secret that the top line struggled offensively in Round 1, but I expect them to be back to normal in this series, as it should be less defensive-minded and more high-scoring. The second line just makes sense to me, as you have two skilled, fast wingers, paired with a fast, defensive-minded center who can both join in the play and hold down the fort in their own zone. No need for explanations for the third line, as they were the best line at 5-on-5 for Montreal throughout the first round. The bottom line contains three forwards who are capable of being strong in the corners and shutting down top forward lines with their blend of grit, experience and defensive ability.

Noah Dobson returning to the first pair is a must if healthy, as Mike Matheson looks like a shell of himself without him. Dobson looked a little rusty yet made some huge plays in his Game 7 return, so I expect him to be ready to go for Game 1 in Buffalo. The other two pairings shouldn't really need much explanation, as we know the second pair works, and Carrier's lack of size and grit is balanced out by being paired with the behemoth that is Arber Xhekaj. While the Xhekaj - Struble pairing did play well, I just can't see Carrier being taken out of the lineup, being the only other right-handed defenceman on the roster.

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Funny enough, as I'm finishing up this blog posting, Patrick Friolet from RDS reported that Veleno and Xhekaj were'nt seen skating with the alternates this morning. I guess me and Marty are on the same page;). This series will certainly be tougher than the last, and I can't wait to see how these teams matchup!