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Sabres HC Lindy Ruff gives Canadiens their flowers after 6-2 loss
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- Sabres HC Lindy Ruff gives Canadiens their flowers after 6-2 loss
Sabres HC Lindy Ruff gives Canadiens their flowers after 6-2 loss appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Buffalo Sabres suffered a 6-2 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 on Sunday night at Bell Centre. The loss gave Montreal a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Second Round series after the Canadiens secured back-to-back victories for the first time this postseason.
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"Give them a lot of credit," Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff said after the loss. "I said before this started, they beat a (heck) of a team. They are a (heck) of a team. Don't take them for granted. Now, if we don't realize it now, we're never going to realize it."
The Sabres opened the scoring only 53 seconds into the game when Tage Thompson buried his third playoff goal after a fortunate bounce off the end boards from a shot by Rasmus Dahlin . However, the early goal became Buffalo's only highlight for much of the night.
The Sabres were unable to contain Montreal's attack, especially during a game-changing second period in which the Canadiens scored three consecutive goals.
Cole Caufield scored on the power play at 6:05 of the second period , and Zachary Bolduc and Juraj Slafkovsky followed with goals less than seven minutes apart to stretch Montreal's lead to 4-1. Slafkovsky's fourth playoff goal continued a remarkable trend, as all four of his postseason goals have come on the power play.
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The Canadiens had the better of the number, outshooting the Sabres 36-28, winning 62.3% of faceoffs, and converting twice on six power-play opportunities. Buffalo managed only one power-play goal in four chances after going scoreless on five opportunities in Game 2.
Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes continued his strong postseason by making 26 saves. He has stopped 54 shots over the last two games and has allowed more than two goals only once in Montreal's last six playoff contests. Meanwhile, the Sabres goalie Alex Lyon surrendered five goals on 36 shots in his second consecutive loss.
Buffalo also looked unsettled defensively and emotionally throughout the game, committing costly penalties and losing control during multiple scrums. Defenseman Bowen Byram acknowledged afterward that the Sabres allowed the Canadiens to dictate the pace and style of play.
Buffalo will have Monday off, with Game 4 set for Tuesday night back in Montreal.
Related: 3 Sabres most to blame for Game 3 loss to Canadiens
Related: Alex Lyon's 'dangerous' Canadiens message after Sabres' Game 3 loss
