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BUFFALO MONTREAL |
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| 5.5 | 4 Final 7 |
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65 | BUFFALO | +175 | 66 | MONTREAL | -210 |
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All Games | 31-42-0 | -7.7 | 31-42 | -7.7 | 39-31 | 2.8 | 32.5 | 3.2 | 33.1 | Team Stats (Road Games) | 11-25-0 | -9.4 | 11-25 | -9.4 | 18-15 | 2.5 | 32.4 | 3.4 | 33.5 | Last 5 Games | 1-4-0 | -2.7 | 1-4 | -2.7 | 1-3 | 1.6 | 31.2 | 3.6 | 32.6 | vs. Division | 9-14-0 | -4.6 | 9-14 | -4.6 | 11-10 | 2.9 | 32.2 | 3.3 | 34.8 |
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Team Stats (All Games) | 73 | 202 | 65 | 63 | 62 | 12 | 12 | 2375 | 8.5% | 213 | 39 | 18.3% | 342 | Team Stats (Road Games) | 36 | 91 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 1165 | 7.8% | 109 | 17 | 15.6% | 160 | Team Stats (Last 5 Games) | 5 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 156 | 5.1% | 11 | 1 | 9.1% | 14 | Team Stats (vs. Division) | 23 | 67 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 740 | 9.1% | 68 | 14 | 20.6% | 118 | Stats Against (All Games) | | 237 | 57 | 89 | 82 | 9 | 18 | 2418 | 9.8% | 191 | 35 | 18.3% | 386 | Stats Against (Road Games) | | 122 | 37 | 45 | 35 | 5 | 11 | 1206 | 10.1% | 100 | 18 | 18.0% | 197 | Stats Against (Last 5 Games) | | 18 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 163 | 11.0% | 13 | 4 | 30.8% | 28 | Stats Against (vs. Division) | | 76 | 16 | 27 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 801 | 9.5% | 64 | 12 | 18.7% | 128 |
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CARTER HUTTON (All Games) | 45 | 43 | 1371 | 1249 | 91.1% | 1 | 16-27 | -10.1 | 16-27-0 | -11 | 21-21 | CARTER HUTTON (Road Games) | 22 | 21 | 658 | 593 | 90.1% | 1 | 4-17 | -11.6 | 4-17-0 | -12 | 11-9 | CARTER HUTTON (vs. Division) | 12 | 11 | 357 | 326 | 91.3% | 0 | 3-8 | -5.4 | 3-8-0 | -5 | 4-6 | CARTER HUTTON (Last 4 Games) | 4 | 4 | 148 | 135 | 91.2% | 1 | 1-3 | -1.7 | 1-3-0 | -2 | 1-3 | LINUS ULLMARK (All Games) | 33 | 30 | 1032 | 935 | 90.6% | 2 | 15-15 | +2.4 | 15-15-0 | +4 | 18-10 | LINUS ULLMARK (Road Games) | 17 | 15 | 540 | 494 | 91.5% | 1 | 7-8 | +2.2 | 7-8-0 | +3 | 7-6 | LINUS ULLMARK (vs. Division) | 13 | 12 | 439 | 400 | 91.1% | 0 | 6-6 | +0.8 | 6-6-0 | +1 | 7-4 | LINUS ULLMARK (Last 4 Games) | 4 | 4 | 107 | 93 | 86.9% | 0 | 0-4 | -4.3 | 0-4-0 | -4 | 2-1 | SCOTT WEDGEWOOD (All Games) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0-0 | SCOTT WEDGEWOOD (Road Games) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0-0 | SCOTT WEDGEWOOD (vs. Division) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | 0-0 |
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All Games | 39-35-0 | +4.4 | 39-35 | +4.4 | 30-40 | 3.0 | 33.7 | 2.9 | 30.9 | Team Stats (Home Games) | 21-16-0 | +2.2 | 21-16 | +2.2 | 14-21 | 3.1 | 36.1 | 2.6 | 29.1 | Last 5 Games | 3-2-0 | +0.4 | 3-2 | +0.4 | 0-5 | 2.2 | 37.6 | 1.2 | 28.8 | vs. Division | 11-13-0 | -1.6 | 11-13 | -1.6 | 13-10 | 3.5 | 32.0 | 3.1 | 32.7 |
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Team Stats (All Games) | 74 | 219 | 66 | 79 | 68 | 6 | 14 | 2496 | 8.8% | 220 | 27 | 12.3% | 369 | Team Stats (Home Games) | 37 | 113 | 29 | 45 | 37 | 2 | 7 | 1335 | 8.5% | 119 | 14 | 11.8% | 181 | Team Stats (Last 5 Games) | 5 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 188 | 5.9% | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 20 | Team Stats (vs. Division) | 24 | 84 | 30 | 30 | 23 | 1 | 6 | 769 | 10.9% | 72 | 10 | 13.9% | 139 | Stats Against (All Games) | | 213 | 65 | 69 | 72 | 7 | 8 | 2290 | 9.3% | 227 | 44 | 19.4% | 363 | Stats Against (Home Games) | | 98 | 34 | 28 | 32 | 4 | 4 | 1076 | 9.1% | 108 | 17 | 15.7% | 165 | Stats Against (Last 5 Games) | | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 144 | 4.2% | 10 | 1 | 10.0% | 10 | Stats Against (vs. Division) | | 75 | 25 | 17 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 786 | 9.5% | 78 | 17 | 21.8% | 123 |
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ANTTI NIEMI (All Games) | 17 | 17 | 540 | 479 | 88.7% | 0 | 8-9 | -0.6 | 8-9-0 | -2 | 12-4 | ANTTI NIEMI (Home Games) | 6 | 6 | 197 | 179 | 90.9% | 0 | 4-2 | +1.8 | 4-2-0 | +1 | 4-1 | ANTTI NIEMI (vs. Division) | 8 | 8 | 262 | 237 | 90.5% | 0 | 4-4 | +0.3 | 4-4-0 | 0 | 5-2 | ANTTI NIEMI (Last 4 Games) | 4 | 4 | 83 | 69 | 83.1% | 0 | 0-4 | -4.8 | 0-4-0 | -5 | 3-1 | CAREY PRICE (All Games) | 59 | 57 | 1743 | 1599 | 91.7% | 4 | 31-26 | +5 | 31-26-0 | +7 | 18-36 | CAREY PRICE (Home Games) | 31 | 31 | 875 | 799 | 91.3% | 3 | 17-14 | +0.5 | 17-14-0 | +2 | 10-20 | CAREY PRICE (vs. Division) | 17 | 16 | 522 | 475 | 91.0% | 1 | 7-9 | -1.9 | 7-9-0 | -1 | 8-8 | CAREY PRICE (Last 4 Games) | 4 | 4 | 123 | 118 | 95.9% | 1 | 2-2 | -0.5 | 2-2-0 | -1 | 0-4 |
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| Average power rating of opponents played: BUFFALO 3.26, MONTREAL 3.08 |
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2/25/2019 | at TORONTO | 3-5 | L | 0, +210 | L | 6.5 ev | O | 2/26/2019 | at PHILADELPHIA | 2-5 | L | 0, +130 | L | 6.5 un | O | 3/1/2019 | PITTSBURGH | 4-3 | W | 0, +110 | W | 6.5 ov | O | 3/2/2019 | at TORONTO | 2-5 | L | 0, +225 | L | 6.5 ov | O | 3/4/2019 | EDMONTON | 3-4 | L | 0, -130 | L | 6 ov | O | 3/7/2019 | at CHICAGO | 4-5 | L | 0, +105 | L | 7 ov | O | 3/9/2019 | at COLORADO | 0-3 | L | 0, +125 | L | 6.5 ov | U | 3/12/2019 | DALLAS | 0-2 | L | 0, +125 | L | 5.5 un | U | 3/14/2019 | PITTSBURGH | 0-5 | L | 0, +150 | L | 6.5 un | U | 3/16/2019 | at CAROLINA | 2-4 | L | 0, +190 | L | 6 un | P | 3/17/2019 | ST LOUIS | 4-3 | W | 0, +130 | W | 5.5 un | O | 3/20/2019 | TORONTO | 2-4 | L | 0, +125 | L | 6.5 ov | U | 3/23/2019 | at MONTREAL | | 3/25/2019 | at NEW JERSEY | | 3/26/2019 | at OTTAWA | | 3/28/2019 | DETROIT | | 3/30/2019 | at NY ISLANDERS | | 3/31/2019 | COLUMBUS | | 4/2/2019 | NASHVILLE | |
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2/25/2019 | at NEW JERSEY | 1-2 | L | 0, -150 | L | 6 un | U | 2/26/2019 | at DETROIT | 8-1 | W | 0, -125 | W | 6 un | O | 3/1/2019 | at NY RANGERS | 4-2 | W | 0, -125 | W | 6 un | P | 3/2/2019 | PITTSBURGH | 1-5 | L | 0, -125 | L | 6.5 ov | U | 3/5/2019 | at LOS ANGELES | 3-1 | W | 0, -140 | W | 5.5 ov | U | 3/7/2019 | at SAN JOSE | 2-5 | L | 0, +160 | L | 6.5 un | O | 3/8/2019 | at ANAHEIM | 2-8 | L | 0, -135 | L | 5.5 un | O | 3/12/2019 | DETROIT | 3-1 | W | 0, -375 | W | 5.5 ov | U | 3/14/2019 | at NY ISLANDERS | 1-2 | L | 0, +110 | L | 5.5 un | U | 3/16/2019 | CHICAGO | 0-2 | L | 0, -155 | L | 7 ev | U | 3/19/2019 | at PHILADELPHIA | 3-1 | W | 0, -105 | W | 6 un | U | 3/21/2019 | NY ISLANDERS | 4-0 | W | 0, -155 | W | 5 ov | U | 3/23/2019 | BUFFALO | | 3/24/2019 | at CAROLINA | | 3/26/2019 | FLORIDA | | 3/28/2019 | at COLUMBUS | | 3/30/2019 | at WINNIPEG | | 4/2/2019 | TAMPA BAY | |
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| | | BUFFALO: LAST SEASON: 25-45-12, 62 points. Finished last in NHL standings for third time in five years.
COACH: Phil Housley (second season, second NHL season).
ADDED: LW Jeff Skinner, LW Conor Sheary, C Tage Thompson, C Patrik Berglund, C Vladimir Sobotka, rookie D Rasmus Dahlin, D Matt Hunwick, D Lawrence Pilut, G Carter Hutton. LOST: C Ryan O'Reilly, G Robin Lehner, LW Benoit Pouliot, D Victor Antipin, D Josh Gorges, C Jordan Nolan, G Chad Johnson.
PLAYER TO WATCH: All eyes will be on Dahlin, the 18-year-old Swedish-born smooth-skating, play-making defenseman selected with the first pick in the draft. Dahlin has such potential, Hockey Hall of Fame COACH and nine-time Stanley Cup-winner Scotty Bowman says the youngster has the potential to become the best defenseman in Sabres history. Dahlin has already roused a fan base, which jammed the Sabres 1,800-seat practice facility to see him perform during the team's rookie camp in June and a four-team prospects tournament earlier this month.
OUTLOOK: The Sabres can't get much worse than the over-priced and under-achieving squad that won three straight games just once, and endured losing streaks of four or more games seven times last season. Things became so grim, O'Reilly in April revealed he LOST his passion for playing at times, and a losing mentality crept into the locker room. O'Reilly was traded to St. Louis in one of numerous moves GM Jason Botterill made to overhaul a roster that will feature anywhere between nine and 12 players not in the season-opening lineup a year ago. The question is how long it will take for the newcomers to find chemistry. | | MONTREAL: LAST SEASON: 29-40-31, 71 points. Finished sixth in Atlantic Division and missed playoffs.
COACH: Claude Julien (third season, 17th NHL season)
ADDED: F Max Domi, F Tomas Tatar, C Tomas Plekanec, F Joel Armia
LOST: LW Max Pacioretty, F Alex Galchenyuk
PLAYER TO WATCH: Carey Price. The all-world goaltender could be the difference between Montreal being one of the worst teams in the NHL and a playoff contender. He has the ability to steal games and will have to stay healthy and be at his best to have the Canadiens even dreaming about returning to the postseason. OUTLOOK: Absent a heroic performance from Price, the Canadiens are in rebuilding territory after trading Pacioretty and Galchenyuk and counting on Domi and a youth movement to generate some optimism in hockey-mad Montreal. It's tough to see this as a playoff team on paper, especially with top defenseman Shea Weber out for at least the first couple of months of the regular season. |
| | Canadiens take aim at struggling Sabres, cling to playoff spot
With two weeks remaining in the NHL's regular season, the surprising Montreal Canadiens barely cling to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but a late-season run of home games may help out. Perhaps beating the Buffalo Sabres would help to get to the playoffs for the first time in two years, too. Montreal (39-28-7) hosts Buffalo on Saturday. The match will be the final one in the four-game season series, and due to a scheduling quirk, the first since the two clubs met the last time during Thanksgiving week. Beating the struggling Sabres would be a start for the Canadiens, who hang on to the final wild card by just one point over the Columbus Blue Jackets, 85-84. Montreal trails Carolina for the first wild card by two points. However, the upstart Hurricanes do have a game in hand to work with. The Philadelphia Flyers (80 points) and Florida Panthers (78) are standings lurkers, but it would be a tall order, requiring perhaps a total collapse from one or two of the three teams above them and for the Flyers or Panthers to run out, for either squad to secure a wild card. Montreal hosts four more games at Bell Center, and the Canadiens, who are 21-12-4 at home, will face the quixotic Panthers, Presidents' Trophy-winning Tampa Bay Lightning and rival Toronto Maple Leafs to round out their home schedule. Goaltender Carey Price gave the Canadiens the lift they needed to hop back in playing position on Thursday, twirling his 44th career shutout by saving 28 shots in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders in Montreal. "He's always the No. 1 guy that can turn the momentum of the game and give the boys confidence. Even when we break down a little bit he's always there, and that's huge," forward Max Domi said of Price, who is now two shutouts behind Ken Dryden for third all-time in franchise history. Montreal is 0-1-2 against the Sabres, having faced them back when Buffalo was playing some of the best hockey in the league. However, the second half of the season has been a complete disaster for the Buffalo as expectations have come up short, fueling speculation of coaching or personnel changes. The Sabres (31-33-9) have won just three times in their last 17 games (3-12-2) and dropped a 4-2 decision on Wednesday at home to Toronto. Buffalo mustered just 22 shots against Maple Leafs backup goalie Garret Sparks, getting tallies from Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander. Meanwhile, the Sabres allowed 45 shots by Toronto against their goalie Carter Hutton, including 38 over the first two periods. "We knew the magnitude of this game, the rivalry," said Buffalo coach Phil Housley, whose club has not won consecutive games since early December. "We turned the puck over and then it came right back after us and we were chasing -- chasing a lot, killing a cycle. Then when we did have the puck, we didn't manage it very well." --Field Level Media |
| Last Updated: 3/29/2024 9:07:49 AM EST. |
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