The Buffalo Sabres may not have been in the playoffs for more than a decade, but that does not mean they could not battle a little adversity after losing Games 2 and 3 against Montreal. They tied the series.
MONTREAL – The sky was falling for the Buffalo Sabres after their Game 3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
If going down 2-1 in this second-round series wasn't bad enough, the Sabres seemed rattled by the Canadiens' home crowd at the Bell Centre, and their physical, fast-paced brand of hockey that had made them so successful throughout the regular season seemed to be slipping away.
Over Games 2 and 3, the Sabres were outscored 11-3. There was widespread chatter that the Sabres, which ended a 14-year playoff drought, had not faced enough adversity to be prepared for this kind of pressure in the post-season and that the Canadiens simply outmatched them.
Despite the speculation that the Sabres were unraveling at the seams, the team came into the Bell Centre for morning skate on Tuesday as calm as could be.
When asked about the mood around the team, Lindy Ruff gave a blunt one-word answer.
"Wonderful," Ruff said emphatically, cutting off the reporter's question.
Perception isn't always reality. From the outside, it might have appeared as if the Sabres were mentally broken after two difficult losses, but their Game 4 response, in the form of a 3-2 win, proved otherwise.
On top of battling the adversity, the Sabres also had to fight the elements of the game.
Up 1-0 in the first period, Jack Quinn took a shot that initially appeared to be saved by Jakub Dobes, but after video review, it was deemed that the puck crossed the red line in Dobes' glove. However, the Canadiens challenged for goaltender interference, and the goal was overturned.
"There was a lot of elements that went the other way, the review, where you get the goal, the review where they take it away, which I totally disagree with… I really thought that that was going our way," Ruff said.
The momentum shifted in the Canadiens' favor after the overturned goal, with the Habs scoring two unanswered goals to close out the first period.
The night could have gotten out of hand for Buffalo at that point, given how the previous two games had played out on top of the frustrations that came with the disallowed goal in the first period.
Once again, with adversity on the horizon, the Sabres' belief did not waiver.
"Just stick with the process," Mattias Samuelsson said. "I mean, there's going to be emotional flows of games throughout the series. Definitely emotional up and down tonight, but I think we did a good job just staying with it, and that was kind of just the message."
Tage Thompson recorded a goal and an assist for the second straight game on Tuesday. (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images)Tage Thompson tied the game in the second period off a shot from nearly center ice that bounced off the boards and past Dobes in what Samuelsson described as the hockey gods giving them a goal back.
In a choppy game that had 11 penalties, the Sabres were able to deal with the ebbs and flows and ultimately prevailed on the power play in the third period, with Zach Benson scoring the game-winning goal.
The Sabres got back into their structure late in the game with a one-goal lead, limiting Montreal's chances and playing a stingy style defensively, indicative of their 27 blocked shots on the night, many of which came in the final frame.
"It looked like our team again, from the way we started the game to the way we finished the game," Ruff said.
Buffalo's calm and composed demeanor over the course of the night wouldn't have been possible without goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
Not having played since April 21, Ruff took a gamble by giving Luukkonen the start over Alex Lyon, and he delivered in a must-win situation.
Luukkonen made 28 saves on 30 shots and has certainly helped flip the narrative as well as the dynamic of the series.
"He's been a great teammate," Ruff said of Luukkonen. "He's the guy that sits there and is pushing the other guy to play well, and he worked extremely hard knowing that his chance was going to come. And I even talked to him probably five, six days ago about your time will come. You got to be ready. He was happy for Lyon. It's all about the way this group has been. It's more about winning, and doesn't matter who's getting the wins. Let's just win hockey games."
The Buffalo Sabres overcame adversity multiple times against the Boston Bruins in the first round, such as pulling off a comeback win in Game 1. (Winslow Townson-Imagn Images)Adversity has struck the Sabres multiple times throughout these playoffs. Early on in their first-round series against the Boston Bruins and after a disastrous Game 3 loss in Montreal, the pressure seemed to be overbearing for a young Sabres team.
The vast majority of Buffalo's players don't have playoff experience, and they are starting to learn how to handle the highs and lows that come with playing at this time of year.
"In the Boston series. Like you win Game 1, you think you're sweeping them, you lose Game 2, you think you're losing them five," Samuelsson said. "So like, just the emotional flows. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. Obviously, I've never experienced it before, but I'm getting a pretty good taste of it this year. So I think for me, I just try to enjoy the ride, enjoy the flows of it."
With this series tied 2-2, the Sabres have regained home-ice advantage, going back to Buffalo with newfound momentum and hope.
Most importantly, they've proven their maturity through the face of adversity, a trait critical in being a successful playoff team.
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