Here are three things to watch in Game 1:
1. Battle level
The Canadiens won their first-round series Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 at Tampa, where they stayed until arriving here Tuesday. They have only been on the ice once since the emotional series finale and did not hold a morning skate Wednesday.
The Sabres have been idle since winning Game 6 at the Boston Bruins on May 1. They have practiced but have also spent some days off the ice.
Is there an advantage for one team or the other?
Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff says no. It will be about whichever team manages the puck the best and battles for possession the hardest when it is lost, something each proved adept at in the first round.
"This time of year, it is all about the willingness to compete on pucks," Ruff said. "Any coach will talk about you have to win the battle on the wall, you have to win the battle off the wall, you have to win the battle to get it to the net. You got to be determined with your boxouts around the net to win that 50/50 battle.
"They don't get here -- we don't get to where we are without it. It's the time of the year when you are the coach going through the game, you are looking at every battle. It's all about effort and desire."
2. Dobson rounding into form
The Canadiens received a lift in Game 7 of the first round with the return of Noah Dobson from an upper-body injury. The defenseman made his debut this postseason Sunday and had an instant impact, recording four hits and two blocked shots in 18:37 of ice time.
Expect that to increase to closer to his regular season average (22:29) in Game 1 as he becomes more comfortable after the time off.
"It's huge," Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said. "He's been a huge part of our team for the whole season. I thought he had a heck of a game coming back, so it's great having him back in the lineup. He makes a lot of calm plays, moves the puck well and defends hard."
3. Will Carrick play?
Sabres forward Sam Carrick was recently all but ruled out of this series, still recovering from an upper-body injury he sustained on March 31. On Monday, Ruff said Carrick had made significant improvement. On Tuesday, he was on the ice for practice. Wednesday, he took part in an optional morning skate.
Could Carrick play in Game 1?
"We really haven't put a date on it," Ruff said. "Tonight could be a possibility."
If he can make it back, Carrick could provide a huge boost.
He had six points (five goals, one assist) in 13 regular-season games of bottom-six duty after arriving in a trade from the New York Rangers on March 6.
Carrick won 57.3 percent of face-offs after joining the Sabres, who don't win them often enough. He also features on the penalty kill.
