As the Montreal Canadiens gear up to face the Buffalo Sabres in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, excitement brews for a matchup that marks Buffalo's first playoff appearance in 12 years. The puck drops on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET in Buffalo, where the teams meet for the first time in the playoffs since 1998.

This series showcases two of the NHL's top American goal-scorers: Cole Caufield of Montreal, who netted 88 goals, and Tage Thompson of Buffalo with 84 goals. The Canadiens enter this series after a dramatic Game 7 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning 2-1 despite only registering nine shots on goal—the second-lowest total for a winning team in playoff history.

Key highlights include:

• Jakub Dobes, the rookie goaltender, made history as only the fifth rookie in Canadiens history to win a Game 7, boasting a 2.00 GAA in three starts against Buffalo.
• Montreal allowed the fewest goals per game (2.29) and shots on goal (22.3) in the first round, showcasing their defensive prowess.

However, concerns loom for Montreal with Juraj Slafkovsky's unexpected slump and Caufield's limited scoring after a stellar regular season.

On the other hand, the Sabres, who defeated Boston in six games, are looking to capitalize on their offensive talent. They will rely on Alex Lyon, who excelled in net during the first round, although he has struggled against Montreal in past encounters.

Buffalo's power play struggled significantly, converting just 4.2% of chances against Boston. With two forwards, Noah Ostlund and Sam Carrick, sidelined, the Sabres need to improve their faceoff percentage (43.8%) to stay competitive.

As these two storied franchises clash, fans can expect a thrilling series that could go the distance.