A new era has arrived to the Atlantic Division, and a second-round postseason clash between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens may determine which organization is at the forefront of the next generation after years of dominance by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Montreal is coming off a hard-fought Game 7 victory over the Bolts on Sunday night. Although the Habs generated just nine shots on goal in the series decider, a tremendous defensive effort combined with a timely Alex Newhook goal was enough to advance.
Meanwhile, Buffalo knocked off another divisional foe, the Boston Bruins, in six games. The Sabres outscored the B's by a remarkable 13-3 margin in three road wins at TD Garden, where Boston had posted the NHL's second-best home record (29-11-1) during the regular season.
So, which players will take center stage when Buffalo and Montreal open their matchup Wednesday night? Let's dive in.
6. Noah Dobson (Canadiens defenseman)
Everyone knows about the game-changing upside of Lane Hutson, but the reason Buffalo has been so tough to beat since early December is the ability of its top-four defense group (Rasmus Dahlin, Mattias Samuelsson, Bowen Byram and Owen Power) to create constant offensive pressure.
In turn, the Habs are going to need a blueliner other than Hutson to step up to provide the same type of attacking presence. Dobson, who scored 47 points in 80 games during the regular season, is the mostly likely option after returning from injury in Game 7 vs. Tampa.
The 6-foot-4 defender was eased back into the lineup, playing less than 19 minutes after averaging over 22 minutes throughout the campaign, but still made his presence felt with four hits and two blocked shots. He didn't record any points, though.
A few days of recovery before Wednesday's series opener should allow Dobson to inch closer to full strength, and the Canadiens will expect more out of his offensively. He's certainly capable after recording 256 points in 388 contests over the past five years.
5. Rasmus Dahlin (Sabres defenseman)
The Sabres are at their best when Dahlin is in top form. He struggled, at least by his typical All-Star standards, early in the season, which played a significant role in the club's lackluster 11-14-4 start. Once he found his game, the Blue and Gold took off like a rocket.
Buffalo won 39 of its last 53 regular-season games to capture the Atlantic Division title. The first overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft appeared in 51 of those contests, tallying 54 points (17 goals and 37 assists) along with a plus-30 rating.
Dahlin's scoring rate dipped a bit in the Boston series (four points in six outings), but the Sabres still controlled play while he was on the ice. His 67.5% 5-on-5 expected goal share was easily the top mark among Buffalo players who played all six games, per Natural Stat Trick.
The second-round matchup should be a little more wide open between two offensively gifted teams than either the Sabres or Habs faced to open the playoffs. That plays right into Dahlin's strengths, and gives him a great chance to steal the spotlight in a series with plenty of star power.
4. Jakub Dobes (Canadiens goalie)
Dobes came to the rescue in Game 7 against Tampa, stopping 28 of the 29 Lightning shots sent his way to keep them at bay long enough for the Canadiens to find the winning goal late in the third period.
There were questions about how the second-year netminder would perform after compiling a lackluster .881 save percentage in three postseason appearances against the Washington Capitals last year. He rose to the occasion with a .923 SV% while playing all seven games vs. the Bolts.
It was a continuation of a strong regular season for Dobes, who saved 7.98 goals above average across 43 contests, according to NST. It allowed him to seize the full-time starting role for the playoffs despite a similarly strong year from Jacob Fowler.
The NHL playoffs often come down to which team has the hotter goalie, especially in such an evenly matched battle like Sabres vs. Habs, so the Canadiens will hope Dobes is able to ride a wave of confidence coming out of his Game 7 masterclass.
3. Tage Thompson (Sabres forward)
Thompson scored two goals in Buffalo's Game 1 win over Boston — a memorable 4-3 comeback victory in front of Western New York faithful experiencing playoff hockey for the first time in 15 years — but he didn't light the lamp again the remainder of the series.
The 6-foot-6 offensive dynamo wasn't completely silent, tallying four assists over the final three games to help punch the Sabres' ticket to the second round, but the Blue and Gold need him to find the net, particularly in what could be a high-scoring matchup.
Thompson, who didn't get a midseason break while helping Team USA capture a gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics, hasn't looked like he's operating to his maximize physical capabilities in recent weeks. Whether it's fatigue, a lingering injury or something else isn't clear.
Regardless, the Sabres haven't been getting quite as much across-the-board scoring as they did in the regular season, in large part due to struggles from the line of Ryan McLeod, Jason Zucker and Jack Quinn, and that increased the pressure on Thompson's shoulders to contribute at a high rate.
2. Alex Lyon (Sabres goalie)
Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff has shown a nearly perfect understanding of what his players need and when they need it throughout the season. Handing the net to Lyon after Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen looked shaky in the first two games against the Bruins was a perfect example.
The Sabres, featuring a roster with several players making their postseason debuts, needed someone between the pipes who could provide a sense of calm. Lyon represented a much better fit for that role than UPL, who was among those appearing in the playoffs for the first time.
Lyon responded by turning away 106 of the 111 shots (.955 SV%) sent his way by Boston, including 25 stops in the clinching Game 6 win. It's earned him the starting spot for as long as his hot streak lasts, though questions remain about his ability to maintain top form for an extended stretch.
It'll be interesting to see how much leeway Ruff gives the 33-year-old journeyman if he has a poor start or two early in the series against Montreal since UPL didn't yield a ton of confidence. The Sabres hope it's a conversation that never has to materialize, though.
1. Cole Caufield (Canadiens forward)
If the Habs are going to pull off a second-round upset — we use that term mildly, though HockeyStats.com does consider Buffalo a 62% favorite to advance — the most likely path is a massive disparity in power-play production.
The Sabres finished 20th with the man advantage during the regular season (19.5%) and the unit recently embarked on an unbelievable 0-for-39 drought. The Canadiens ranked 10th (23.1%) and converted five times during the first-round triumph over the Lightning.
Caufield is usually at the center of Montreal's power-play success, recording 29 points (11 goals and 18 assists) in those situations this season. He added three PP assists in the first two games of the Tampa series, but tallied just one point (a PP goal) over the last five contests.
The Habs desperately need the 2019 first-round pick to heat back up offensively if they're going to keep pace with the high-flying Sabres, and getting back to his usual level of production on the power play could be the biggest turning point of them all.
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