Canadiens host Sabres tonight in Game 3, hoping home ice becomes an advantage

MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens are hoping to make Mother’s Day extra special when they attempt to grab a 2-1 lead in their second-round, best-of-seven playoff series against the visiting Buffalo Sabres tonight.

The Canadiens earned a split at KeyBank Center, losing Wednesday’s opener 4-2 and rebounding with a 5-1 win on Friday in Game 2. The Canadiens are 4-0 after a loss this post-season.

Despite the electric vibe and thunderous Montreal crowds at Bell Centre, home ice hasn’t been an advantage for the Canadiens so far this post-season. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the opening round, winning only one of three games in Montreal and that Game 3 victory required overtime.

In fact, the Canadiens haven’t had back-to-back wins in the post-season, but here they are, just three wins away from an Eastern Conference final date with the Carolina Hurricanes — and now with home-ice advantage against the Sabres.