Canadiens beat Sabres 3-2 OT

Alex Newhook scored at 11:22 of overtime on Monday, May 18, to send the Montreal Canadiens past the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in Game 7 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The goal ended Buffalo’s season and moved Montreal into the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc also scored for the Canadiens, and goaltender Jakub Dobes made 37 saves. Rasmus Dahlin and Jordan Greenway scored for Buffalo, which entered the second round as the top seed from the Atlantic Division. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 22 shots in the loss. The overtime winner came after a series that went the full seven games and after Montreal had been routed 8-3 in Game 6. ### How did Montreal finish the series in Buffalo? (nhl.com) Newhook scored after taking a cross-ice pass from Alexandre Carrier, skating to the top of the left circle and beating Luukkonen with a low wrist shot, NHL.com reported. The goal gave Newhook a second straight series-clinching goal after he also scored the winner in Montreal’s Game 7 victory over Tampa Bay in the first round. (nhl.com) Danault opened the scoring at 4:30 of the first period, and Bolduc added Montreal’s second goal before Buffalo forced the game level. Dobes, who had been pulled midway through the third period of Game 6, said the previous outing served as “a wake-up call,” according to NHL.com. ### What did the Canadiens say after the win? Newhook called the finish “a crazy feeling” and said, “It was a war all series long.” Canadiens coach Martin St. (nhl.com) Louis said the experience of another elimination game mattered for a young group that lost in the first round to Washington last year. “It’s amazing,” St. Louis said. “I’m so happy for the players to live that.” Dobes said he “took it personal” after being pulled in the previous game. The goalie’s 37-save performance in Buffalo helped Montreal survive a Sabres team that pushed the game into overtime on home ice. ### How did Buffalo frame the loss? Lindy Ruff told his players that “it hurts” after the defeat but said he would not let one game define Buffalo’s season. (nhl.com) Ruff said he was proud of the team for forcing a Game 7 and giving itself “every chance to win.” Buffalo had entered the series as the Atlantic Division’s No. 1 seed, while Montreal was the No. 3 seed. (nhl.com) ESPN’s playoff tracker listed the Sabres as the consensus pick in the matchup before the series began. ### What comes next for Montreal? The NHL’s conference finals schedule lists Game 1 between Montreal and Carolina for Thursday, May 21, at 8 p.m. (nhl.com) ET in Raleigh, North Carolina. Game 2 is set for Saturday, May 23, before the series shifts to Montreal for Games 3 and 4 on May 25 and May 27. Carolina last played on May 9, according to ESPN’s playoff schedule, giving the Hurricanes a longer layoff before the series opens. (espn.com) The Eastern Conference Final will air in the United States on TNT, truTV and HBO Max, with Canadian coverage on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports, according to NHL.com. (nhl.com)