Now what? That's the only question worth asking for the Buffalo Sabres after two straight games where they were completely and utterly dominated by the Montreal Canadiens.
The Sabres looked borderline incapable of keeping pace with the swarming Habs, who've grabbed a 2-1 series lead and every shred of momentum as the Atlantic Division rivals fight for a spot opposite the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.
Buffalo's biggest problem has been its sheer inability to keep Montreal from attacking the inner slot because of minimal, or at times no, resistance.
Mike Kelly of NHL Network spotlighted the Sabres' issues protecting the middle of the ice in their defensive zone after Sunday night's lopsided 6-2 loss:
The door the the house is unlocked 🔓
— Mike Kelly (@MikeKellyNHL) May 11, 2026
After dropping Game 1, the Canadiens have won two straight against the Sabres. Montreal with a sizeable lead in slot driving plays (carries / passes into the slot) in Games 2 and 3. pic.twitter.com/fWhyHVEydL
The Canadiens are averaging nearly 50 slot drives per game over the past two contests. That's nearly one per minute! It's easy to see why Buffalo has struggled to remain remotely competitive despite relatively strong play from veteran goalie Alex Lyon.
Quite simply, the Sabres can't expect to make any type of sustained surge in this series until they clean up their play in the defensive end. And, when you combine that recent weakness with the team's turnover woes, it's just been a massacre for the Blue and Gold.
Head coach Lindy Ruff must decide if a change of approach is warranted — Buffalo enjoyed the free-flowing brand of hockey during the regular season, but it may be outmanned trying to play that style vs. Montreal — or whether to double down on the aggressive mindset.
Could Buffalo Sabres shake up their defense pairs for Game 4 vs. Montreal Canadiens?
Changes are likely coming for the Sabres forward group after a sluggish start to the series, and rightfully so. Zach Benson and Josh Doan have found consistent success thanks to their hardworking approach, but nobody else has earned praise up front.
How about on the defensive side, though?
Buffalo has kept its top-four defense group the same for pretty much the entirety of their rise toward Stanley Cup contention since early December: Rasmus Dahlin with Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power with Bowen Byram.
In addition, after testing out various third-pair combinations down the stretch of the regular season, Ruff has stuck with Logan Stanley and Conor Timmins.
Given how poorly the Sabres have played defensively over the past 120 minutes, it's fair to wonder whether a shake up is needed. It could be an effort to provide a spark if nothing else.
Here's one combination of pairs Ruff could try in Game 4:
Left Defense | Right Defense |
|---|---|
Owen Power | Rasmus Dahlin |
Mattias Samuelsson | Bowen Byram |
Logan Stanley | Zach Metsa |
Ruff tested out the top two tandems for a practice late in the regular season. It felt weird at the time, mostly because the Sabres' strength defensively was the foundation of their success, but perhaps he was preparing for a moment just like this where adjustments felt mandatory.
Power and Dahlin are both former No. 1 overall draft picks have typically played well in limited minutes together in the past, while having Samuelsson as a defensive anchor would give Byram even more freedom to join the rush.
Meanwhile, the third pair has been an issue against Montreal and, even though Stanley's severe skating limitations make him stick out like a sore thumb at times, he's provided valuable penalty-killing minutes in the playoffs. (Opponent power plays are scoreless in 15 PK minutes for the hulking defender.)
Giving him a more mobile partner, in this case Metsa, could help alleviate some of the puck-moving problems that have popped up at even strength against the Habs' eager forecheckers.
Would these alterations solve every Sabres problem? Of course not, but they've reached a point of desperation where they can't keep trying the same thing and expecting different results. The Canadiens have delivered a massive statement over the past two games.
Buffalo now must weigh the fact it's been one of the NHL's best teams over the past five months against the reality check Montreal has provided since Sunday night.
Regardless of how the Sabres line up in Game 4 on Tuesday, they're going to need one of their best performances of the campaign if they want to get back level in the second-round series.
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