Canadiens Sabres – Montreal’s slow start and missed power-play chances cost them in Game 4 as the Sabres won 3-2 to tie the series 2-2.

A slow start and wasted power-play opportunities left the Montreal Canadiens staring at a familiar playoff test after a 3-2 Game 4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, leveling the series at 2-2.

While it’s tempting to point to the strange randomness of the night. including a puck that hit the stanchion by the Bell Centre’s Zamboni door and then caromed off Jakub Dobes’ pad. the Canadiens know they can’t build an honest evaluation around a single bounce.. They will need a deeper review before the next chapter begins at KeyBank Center on Thursday.

The most glaring issue was the power play.. Montreal had seven opportunities with the man advantage but managed only one goal. and that comes with a responsibility attached: if you get that many chances. you can’t rely on one conversion while missing six others.. Cole Caufield. who scored the Canadiens’ power-play goal. said the team “broke down” Buffalo and that Luukkonen made the difference with big saves—yet the Canadiens still left enough chances behind. through puck management and decision-making. to regret what might have been.

One moment underscored how thin the margin became.. With 1:29 left in the second period. 11:31 after Tage Thompson’s shot banked off the glass and found the net to tie the game at 2-2. Montreal’s final power play of the night bled into the start of the third after Bowen Byram was assessed a high-sticking penalty on Alexandre Texier.. In that extended window. the Canadiens generated just two shots on goal. both from beyond 28 feet. with neither threatening the net enough to create the breakthrough.

Canadiens coach Martin St.. Louis framed the loss the way he has all season: outcomes can hinge on fine lines. even when a team commits the actions needed to put the odds in its favor.. Jake Evans was even more direct about the problem in the first stretch. saying the Canadiens’ opening was simply not good and admitting they were “trampled out of the gate. ” falling behind at 6:32.

That poor start mattered because it made every later push more difficult.. St.. Louis pointed to Montreal’s puck management in the offensive zone. saying they didn’t execute despite having numbers to counter the rush game.. The opening goal reflected that breakdown: Zachary Bolduc was in a position that should have allowed better defensive coverage for Josh Norris. but Norris passed across to Mattias Samuelsson. who slipped by Joe Veleno’s check to score at Dobes’ crease.

Less than two minutes later, another defensive lapse handed Buffalo a second early strike.. Josh Anderson was in position to stop Jack Quinn. but he lost him. and Quinn scored—an effort initially allowed to stand but later disallowed after a goaltender interference challenge involving Konsta Helenius.. Even though the goal was taken away. the sequence was a reminder that Montreal’s structure in the opening minutes was repeatedly strained. creating chaos that invited the Sabres.

It’s also why the Canadiens will continue to scrutinize how “momentum swings” can start with small losses of detail.. The disallowed play ended up being more than a near miss because of what it represented: Montreal experienced a “bounce” that could have been avoided. and Buffalo’s early pressure put the Canadiens into reactive mode.

Soon after, the game tilted back in Montreal’s direction.. Alex Newhook scored two minutes after the moment involving the Quinn play. and Caufield made it 2-1 with 13 seconds left in the first period.. That swing gave the Canadiens life. but it didn’t remove the need for a complete response—particularly after Thompson’s later tying goal.

Thompson’s blast off the stanchion seven minutes into the second was not the deciding factor by itself. but the way it cancelled out Montreal’s earlier bad-luck bounce became part of the story.. St.. Louis highlighted another layer: the chance was created partly because Buffalo had failed on three consecutive attempts to break the puck into Montreal’s end while Montreal controlled the play on the power play.. In other words. even if luck has a role. it doesn’t erase the sequence that allowed the moment to happen.

There was also a goaltending debate built into the play.. St.. Louis said Dobes didn’t go to play the puck this time because he had already been burned by a goal off the Zamboni door earlier in the season.. He explained that once Dobes leaves his net once and pays for it, the reaction changes; St.. Louis suggested that if Dobes had committed out that time, the goal might not have happened.

Still, Montreal’s night wasn’t only about initial mistakes. The Canadiens did mount pressure after Buffalo took a 3-2 lead, hounding the puck through the second half and controlling a large portion of the third period as they attempted to claw their way back.

But one key penalty and a late defensive breakdown kept the comeback from taking full shape.. Evans took a penalty 150 feet from his own net. and after the Canadiens failed to execute well enough. Zach Benson had enough space in the slot to push the puck from forehand to backhand—scoring the winning goal on the ensuing power play.

That sequence is likely to be one Montreal will revisit repeatedly in the video room. because it turned the game’s final minutes into a problem the Canadiens couldn’t solve.. It also sets up a tougher mindset heading into Game 5 at KeyBank Center: they have to keep their urgency without conceding the kinds of penalties and defensive lapses that turn pressure into a concession.

For Buffalo, the night carried confidence as well. After previously allowing 11 goals across Games 2 and 3, the Sabres improved their defensive work enough to absorb Montreal’s late surge. They blocked 13 shots over the final 15:19, building on 20 blocks in the stretches that preceded Benson’s goal.

The Sabres also managed shot quality.. They forced 15 Montreal attempts wide, limiting direct looks at Luukkonen.. And Luukkonen himself delivered at a time when he was under pressure, stopping 28 of the 30 shots that reached him.. He entered the series cold compared to recent rhythm. as this was his first start since April 21 and his team leaned on him to help wrestle back home-ice advantage.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s decision to start Luukkonen instead of Alex Lyon paid off. and Ruff described Luukkonen as a teammate who pushes the standard inside the group while staying ready for his moment.. Ruff also noted that he had spoken to Luukkonen days earlier about being prepared when the opportunity arrived.

Between Games 3 and 4, St.. Louis had also stressed readiness and alertness. expecting Buffalo to strike with its strongest punch after Montreal’s major defensive misses in the previous two games.. Montreal didn’t respond immediately enough in Game 4, and even with its late effort, it couldn’t find the equalizer.

Now Montreal finds itself in a postseason position it knows well.. The Canadiens are in the same scenario as the prior round. having lost Game 4 and surrendered a chance to head back on the road with a 3-1 series lead.. Still. captain Nick Suzuki pointed out they’re not facing an overseas travel test of sorts; they have already proven themselves as a road team this year. and they intend to bring that belief into Game 5.

The task now is clear: process what went wrong Tuesday. evaluate the poor start. and review the missed opportunities rather than accepting the notion that the difference was simply a bounce off infrastructure.. If the Canadiens can convert the lessons of this game into sharper execution. they can carry the same resolve they’ve shown in the playoffs when responding to defeats with wins.

Canadiens Sabres Game 4 Martin St. Louis power play struggles Tage Thompson goal Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen