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Key Canadiens’ players who can impact the series

by Chad DeDominicis - 0

The war to see who will come out of the Atlantic division in the Stanley Cup playoffs will continue in round two between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.

Unlike the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens don’t have the well-known star power at the top of their roster. That doesn’t mean they’re not full of talent. They have upcoming stars and are a deeper hockey team than the Bruins.

Star Players

There are four players on the Habs roster that I think are critical to their success. The Sabres won’t be able to shut them all down through the entire series, but if they can keep them from taking over the series, they’ll have a good chance to advance.

Cole Caufield

Cole Caufield led not only the Canadiens but also ranked among the best in the NHL in production this season. He finished with 51 goals and 88 points in 81 games. The Lightning did a good job containing him in the first round. He only scored one goal and four points in seven games.

The 25-year-old winger is one of the best finishers in the game right now. He can literally score from anywhere in the offensive zone with his shot. Caufield can be a nightmare in transition and is an excellent scorer around the net with his quick hands.

The old cliché of taking away time and space will be important for the Sabres if they want to keep him quiet. Make him play in the defensive zone as much as possible to take away his ability to be effective at the other end of the ice.

He was on the ice for one goal for the Canadiens at 5 on 5 in the entire first round. He was outscored 1-5 in the series at 5 on 5. The Lightning matched Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel against him. Two forwards that have a strong two-way game and can be hard on the puck.

The Sabres closest comp to that would be matching the Josh Norris, Josh Doan, and Zach Benson line against Caufield.

Lane Hutson

The top defenseman on the Canadiens roster is the highly talented Lane Hutson. He’s undersized at 5’9”, but the 22-year-old is a dangerous player. He can flip a game in an instant offensively.

The counter is his defensive game; there are areas he can be exploited. Hutson is an excellent transition defender, with his exits turning into scoring opportunities. His positioning and size on the walls are the parts of his game to target.

Hutson may also be one of the best power play quarterbacks in the NHL. He moves all over the ice, has good vision, and a good shot.

Juraj Slafkovsky

The 2022 first overall pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, could be a game wrecker for the opponent. We saw him single-handedly lead Slovakia to Olympic victories. He did it again in Game 1 of the last round with a hat-trick against the Lightning.

Consistency, however, still plagues the 22-year-old. There are stretches where he’ll go quiet, especially at 5 on 5. It happened during the regular season, and after Game 1, Slafkovsky didn’t show up on the score sheet the remainder of the series.

The key here is not to let him steal game and not to allow him to build confidence. He has had opportunities in the last few games, but he has not been able to find the back of the net.

Nick Suzuki

Nick Suzuki put together a career season from a production standpoint with 101 points in 82 games. I’ve always been a fan of the player, and he established himself as a true top-line center this season.

Not only is the offensive talent there, but he’s a good defensive centerman as well. The underlying numbers have showcased this for a few years now.

As I mentioned with the other two forwards, the Lightning did a good job shutting him down in the first round. The Canadiens still found a way to win. That speaks directly to the depth of this team.

Second Tier

Jakub Dobes

The main reason the Canadiens advanced was the strong performance of rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes. He finished the series with 5.97 goals saved above expected in Hockey Stats model and a .923 save percentage.

He’s a big goaltender at 6’4” and knows how to use his size in the net. Especially in scramble situations. The 24-year-old has never lost to the Sabres in three starts against them in his career. He has never given up more than two goals in a game against them, with a .937 save percentage in those three contests.

Another thing to watch is how well Dobes handles the puck. The Sabres will need to account for that in their forecheck, keeping pucks away from him when possible.

Ivan Demidov

Another young player on the Canadiens roster with high-end offensive talent is Russian-born winger Ivan Demidov. The 20-year-old scored 19 goals and 62 points in his first NHL season. Demidov was fourth on the Canadiens roster in points per hour at 5 on 5.

He was another player who was quiet for the Canadiens last series, but it feels like only a matter of time before he finds the offense again.

Alex Texier

What a story Alex Texier has been for the Canadiens. They picked him up this season after his contract was terminated with the St. Louis Blues. He registered 20 points in 43 regular-season games after joining Montreal.

He led the Canadiens in points and goals during the first round. The 26-year-old was a big reason why they were able to sneak by the Lightning.

Noah Dobson

Dobson missed most of the first round recovering from an injury he suffered late in the regular season. He managed to play in Game 7, and if he’s able to be close to 100% this season, he’ll upgrade what is an average at best Canadiens blue line.

Honorable Mentions

I can keep running through the Canadiens’ roster, looking for players who could make a difference. Jake Evans did a solid job keeping Nikita Kucherov in check. He’s a good defensive centerman in their bottom six.

Zach Bolduc has made an impact thus far in the playoffs. Like a few of the Sabres players, his game is built for playoff hockey.

It’ll be a more open series than the one between the Sabres and Bruins. Two young and rising teams battling for a spot in the Eastern Conference final will be fun.

Data via: Hockeyviz and Hockey Stats
Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

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