Buffalo's Power Play Woke Up at the Perfect Time and Montreal Has No Answer

Buffalo just took Game 1 of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Montreal, 4-2, and the Sabres brought their power play to the party for the first time all season. Two extra-man goals in one game? That's the kind of firepower that wins playoff series, and for a team that had been absolutely brutal on the man advantage all year, Wednesday night felt like a turning point.

From Historic Worst to Suddenly Dangerous

Let's talk about how bad things were before this. Buffalo finished the regular season 0-for-20 on the power play, then went just 1-for-24 in their first-round series against Boston. That's not just bad. That's historically rough. The Sabres hadn't scored two power-play goals in a single game since March 31. You could feel the frustration building.

Then Wednesday happened. Ryan McLeod potted Buffalo's first power-play marker midway through the first period, and Bowen Byram added another on the power play in the second. Suddenly, the narrative changed. Josh Doan, who also opened the scoring early in the first to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead, talked about the shift afterward: "It's one in the series that's over, and we have two in this series already. So, it's going well." The guy gave credit to his teammates for winning puck battles they'd been losing all season and stopping the one-and-dones that haunted them down the stretch.

Sabres Controlled from the Opening Puck

Buffalo didn't just win Game 1, they dominated it. Doan's early goal set the tone, then McLeod's power-play marker extended things to 2-0. Montreal's Nick Suzuki answered back with a power-play goal late in the first, but Jordan Greenway restored Buffalo's two-goal cushion just 3.5 minutes into the second period. That's championship-level response hockey.

Byram's second-period power-play goal made it 4-1, and even though Montreal made it interesting late, the Sabres had already done enough.

Game 2 is coming, and Montreal's got to figure out how to slow down this suddenly clicking Buffalo offense. After 14 years away from the playoffs, the Sabres aren't just happy to be back. They're playing like they belong.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.