BUFFALO – Looking back, coach Lindy Ruff believes a slew of factors contributed to the Sabres’ weak start at home in the first round against the Boston Bruins.
“The combination of anxiety, nerves, first time, too amped up, not focused on how we really need to play, versus kind of running around and wasting a lot of energy doing things that we don’t need to be doing in that first game,” he said Thursday in KeyBank Center. “And we didn’t get much accomplished until really the third period of Game 1 (against Boston).”
The Sabres rallied to win that game but lost the next two at home. Their 3-0 road record buoyed them their first series victory in 19 years.
So Wednesday’s 4-2 win home over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of their second-round series was significant.
The Sabres, who host Game 2 on Friday, looked more comfortable and relaxed from the get-go. They jumped on the Canadiens early, scoring at 4:31 and 13:26.
Remember, 14 Sabres made their postseason debut in the first round.
“A great start to our first period,” Ruff said. “I mean, overall, a good Game 1, knowing that as a team there are things we can do better.”
Ruff believes having five days off between games contributed to some poor decision- making with the puck.
“I hate to say rust, but you haven’t been up and running,” he said. “Your game tempo isn’t quite there. Some of our puck decisions led to opportunities, what I call giving up free offense. It wasn’t from lack of effort. Nothing to do with that. … It just had to do a lot with puck management and execution.”
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Goalie Alex Lyon, who at 33 is the second-oldest Sabre who has played this postseason, was the oldest player on the roster during the latter part of his AHL career.
“My year in Chicago (in 2021-22), I was the oldest guy in the locker room at age, like, 30 (29, actually),” he said. “So it’s not really that foreign of an experience for me. Every team is different, every organization is different, and it presents a different set of challenges.
“And so really, as a guy who’s been with a bunch of different teams, (I’m) kind of like an amorphous blob to a degree, where I can fit in in different situations and adapt to circumstances. That’s what I try to do, and I think that’s where my value lies.”
Lyon looked sharp again Wednesday, making 26 saves, including some critical early stops.
“If he didn’t make those saves early in the first period, the game would’ve looked different,” Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said.
Lyon has compiled a 4-1 record with a 1.30 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage in six postseason outings this year.
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Dahlin, who briefly left Wednesday’s win after blocking a shot, said he’s fine. The Sabres did not practice on Thursday.