The Buffalo Sabres need to find some answers and find them quick if they hope to get back into the series with the Montreal Canadiens. After winning Game 1, the Sabres have lost consecutive games by a combined score of 11-3.
On Monday, head coach Lindy Ruff met with reporters and again reiterated that Alex Lyon isn't the problem and he wasn't thinking about replacing him during the game. However, he did say he "would have liked to replace some forwards and D during the game, but we don't have that option."
While he may not have that option during the game, he certainly has that option ahead of Game 4. With that in mind, these are some changes that the Sabres should make to their lines.
Time for the Buffalo Sabres to break up their top line
Wing | Center | Wing |
|---|---|---|
Zach Benson | Tage Thompson | Peyton Krebs |
Josh Doan | Ryan McLeod | Alex Tuch |
Jason Zucker | Josh Norris | Jack Quinn |
Jordan Greenway | Sam Carrick | Beck Malenstyn |
If the Sabres are going to make significant changes, then no line should necessarily be safe. That starts with the top line of Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, and Peyton Krebs, as these three have combined for one point in 5v5 situations in this series against the Canadiens after Thompson's goal in Game 3.
There is no question that at times this season, and even in the prior series against the Bruins, they have been very productive. However, it just isn't working, and putting Zach Benson with this group makes a lot of sense with the way he forechecks and can get right in front of the net. That could help open up shooting lanes for Thompson and continue some of the scoring momentum.
By moving Benson to the top line, the Sabres can build a second line with Ryan McLeod at center and Josh Doan and Alex Tuch on the wings. This was a line that has been successful at times and, according to MoneyPuck, had the best Goals Scored Per 60 Minutes of any line with 100+ minutes this season at 5.54.
These moves could provide a spark for the Top 6 but leave this third line with major questions, as Jason Zucker, Josh Norris, and Jack Quinn have struggled in this series, maybe the most of any of the forwards. It is tough to envision any of them being removed from the lineup because the Sabres don't have any options that have a higher ceiling.
As much as fans would love to see Konsta Helenius on the ice to see what he can do, he is not a realistic option. Helenius is a rookie who would be playing in his first playoff game on the road in Montreal, which doesn't set him up for success, along with contract implications if he plays.
These lines keep the fourth line in place with Greenway, Carrick, and Malenstyn, and based on Game 3, there really isn't any reason to change that. They should get at least one more game with a returning Sam Carrick to see if they can bounce back to what they did during the regular season.
Buffalo Sabres need to get Zach Metsa on the ice in place of Logan Stanley
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | Mattias Samuelsson |
Owen Power | Bowen Byram |
Conor Timmins | Zach Metsa |
For the blueline, the Sabres could shuffle their pairs, but it doesn't feel like it makes too much sense to shuffle their Top 4 with how much they have played together this season. They can't make change for the sake of change, and having a constant of their Top 4 with the changes made among the forwards could help mitigate some of the lineup risk.
However, they can't go into Game 4 with no changes, and it should be time to give Zach Metsa a look on the third pair with Conor Timmins. The reason Metsa is replacing Timmins is that he is a better skater than Stanley and has more speed that hopefully matches the forwards better than the bigger Stanley.
The Sabres have enough depth on the blue line that they could swap both Timmins and Stanley out, but the Sabres should keep Timmins on the ice for his penalty kill. There is no question that it struggled in Game 2 as they gave up two power play goals.
However, Timmins is leading the Sabres in time on ice in penalty kill situations, and it would have a significant impact on the penalty kill units if Timmins weren't playing.
Based on some comments by Lindy Ruff on Monday, fans should expect changes to the lines ahead of Game 4 on Tuesday night. These lines give the Sabres the best chance to serve as a wake-up call for the players and to tie the series back up.
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