Forechecking a big part of Canadiens’ response in second round
The Montreal Canadiens did not get off to the start they were looking for in Game 1 of their second round series against the Buffalo Sabres, falling behind the 8-ball with a 4-2 defeat.
But a road win in Game 2 in convincing fashion followed by another incredible showing at Centre Bell in Game 3, a 6-2 win, have completely flipped the series on its ear.
Strong play from Jakub Dobes and an opportunistic power play have played big roles, but so too has Montreal’s ability to use its speed and tenacity to force Buffalo into turnovers and mistakes on the forecheck.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL video coach Steve Peters were joined by Marco D’Amico of BPM Sports radio to discuss how the Canadiens’ forecheck turned this series around after a lackluster Game 1.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Coming out of Game 1 they lose 4-2, back-to-back wins now, and not just back-to-back wins, but scoring 11 goals… Just sort of on a surface level I guess, what’s impressed you the most about the way the Habs have responded in the last let’s call it six periods?
Marco D’Amico: I felt against Tampa there wasn’t much open ice, and Tampa Bay’s defense not very high on the turnover count. Buffalo, on the other hand, a little bit more open ice, a little bit more privy to those turnovers, so what I think I would have to go and say is the forechecking has been on another level for the Montreal Canadiens. It feels like having had to go in that trench war kind of environment with the Tampa Bay Lightning and have to earn every inch of ice has prepared them, and I feel like a team, Buffalo’s a fantastic hockey team, and they’re going to be a playoff team for many, many years, but there still seems to be some sort of a defensive immaturity when it comes to playing under pressure, and the Canadiens have fully taken advantage of that with their two-man forecheck. You look at guys like Alex Newhook, he’s feasted on them the last two games because of that. Zach Bolduc, same concept, just again reading the situation and rushing the play, but I felt like last night for the first time, the Canadiens were able to get ahead because they went to the net. They crashed the net. A netfront presence, or at least a crease presence from a Canadiens forward on every single shift was probably the biggest on my wish list of things they needed to adjust from series to series. You didn’t quite see it in Game 1. You started seeing more of it in Game, and then it was on full display in Game 3. If they’re going to have success against Alex Lyon… that’s the kind of style they’re going to have to play because that’s what gets you games in the ‘W’ column in the playoffs.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…