Canadiens beat Sabres 3-2 in OT

The Montreal Canadiens moved into the Eastern Conference Final on Monday, May 19, after a 3-2 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Alex Newhook scored at 11:22 of overtime to end the series and send Montreal to a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, according to NHL.com. (nhl.com) Carolina had not played since May 9 after sweeping its first two playoff rounds, giving the Hurricanes a long break before the series opener. The result closed a seven-game second-round series and completed Montreal’s advance from the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 seed into the final four. NHL.com said the Canadiens will next face the Hurricanes, the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference top seed, with Carolina holding home-ice advantage. (nhl.com) ### Who scored the goal that ended Montreal’s series with Buffalo? Alex Newhook scored the winner at 11:22 of overtime on Monday night, NHL.com reported. The goal gave Montreal its third goal on 25 shots and ended a game in which Buffalo outshot the Canadiens 39-25. (nhl.com) KeyBank Center in Buffalo was the site of the deciding game, and NHL.com’s game summary listed the final as Montreal 3, Buffalo 2 in overtime. The win pushed the Canadiens through a series that went the full seven games. ### How did this set up the next matchup? Carolina became Montreal’s next opponent as soon as the Canadiens finished off Buffalo on May 19. (nhl.com) NHL.com said the Hurricanes, the No. 1 seed from the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference, will have home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series against Montreal, the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division. (nhl.com) May 9 was the last time Carolina played before the conference final, according to ESPN’s playoff coverage and NHL.com’s Hurricanes preview material. That layoff followed Carolina sweeps in the first two rounds. (nhl.com) ### What have the teams said about the matchup? Josh Anderson, a Canadiens forward, said of Carolina in comments published by NHL.com: “They’re a really good team.” He added that the Hurricanes are “fast” and “quick” and said they “like to move the puck” and “like rush games.” Martin St. Louis, Montreal’s coach, spoke after the Game 7 win about the moment the Canadiens advanced. (nhl.com) NHL.com reported that St. Louis said he spoke to his mother during overtime and, after Newhook scored, “I thanked her.” ### When and where does the Eastern Conference Final start? (nhl.com) Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, in Raleigh, North Carolina, at 8 p.m. ET, NHL.com said. The league’s conference-finals schedule lists TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports among the broadcasters for the opener. (nhl.com) NHL.com published the full conference-final schedule on May 19, with additional results and television details for both the Eastern and Western Conference finals. Hurricanes.com also said the series begins at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. (nhl.com) ### Where can readers track the rest of the series? NHL.com posted the full Eastern Conference Final schedule and broadcast information in its conference-finals schedule page. The Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes team sites also published series previews and schedule notices after Montreal’s Game 7 win. (nhl.com) Thursday, May 21, is the next date on the bracket for Montreal and Carolina, with Game 1 in Raleigh and Game 2 set for Saturday, May 23, according to NHL.com’s schedule page. (nhl.com)