Montreal Canadiens beat Buffalo Sabres

Alex Newhook ended Montreal’s second-round series at 11:22 of overtime on Monday, scoring in a 3-2 Game 7 win over the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. The goal sent the Canadiens into the Eastern Conference Final after a series that went the distance and was decided in sudden-death playoff overtime. (nhl.com) NHL.com’s recap listed Newhook as the overtime scorer and said Montreal will face the Carolina Hurricanes next. Buffalo forced overtime before Newhook’s winner, but the Sabres’ season ended one goal short of their first trip to the conference final in this run. Sabres.com said Buffalo mounted “one last comeback” to extend the game before losing in overtime. (nhl.com) ### How did Montreal close out Game 7? Alex Newhook scored the winner at 11:22 of overtime, and the final score was 3-2. NHL.com’s game recap said the goal came in overtime at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, while the league scoreboard shows Montreal’s third goal recorded at 11:22 of OT. (nhl.com) The Canadiens finished the game after Buffalo erased a late deficit to force extra time. Sabres.com described the loss as Buffalo’s season ending in overtime of Game 7 and identified Newhook as the player who scored the deciding goal. ### Why was this goal so significant? (nhl.com) Montreal advanced to the Eastern Conference Final with the win, making Newhook’s shot the goal that ended the second-round series. NHL.com’s recap said the Canadiens move on to face Carolina, and the league’s conference-final schedule page lists Montreal in the East final. (nhl.com) Game 7 overtime carries its own weight because NHL playoff overtime is sudden death, with no shootout and no three-on-three format. In practical terms, one clean finish ends the season immediately, and that is what happened in Buffalo on Monday night. (nhl.com) ### Who is waiting for Montreal next? The Carolina Hurricanes are next after completing a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. NHL.com said Carolina advanced with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 on May 9 and entered the conference final after an 8-0 start to the playoffs. (nhl.com) NHL.com’s playoff lookahead said Carolina reached the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight season and the third time in four seasons. The same lookahead identified Montreal as Carolina’s opponent after the Canadiens’ overtime win in Buffalo. (nhl.com) ### When does the Eastern Conference Final start? Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final is scheduled for Thursday, May 21, in Carolina at 8 p.m. EDT, according to NHL.com’s conference-finals schedule page. The official NHL schedule page also lists Game 2 for Saturday, May 23, in Carolina before the series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Monday, May 25. (nhl.com) Carolina’s team site published the same schedule framework on May 18, before the opponent was finalized, and later confirmed the Hurricanes would face Montreal. That leaves the next step clear: Montreal opens the East final on the road against a Carolina club that swept its first two playoff rounds. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) (nhl.com 3)