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On Monday evening, Alex Newhook notched his second series-deciding goal of the playoffs, securing a 3-2 overtime victory for the Montreal Canadiens against the Buffalo Sabres after 11 minutes and 22 seconds of extra play.
Advancing along the left flank, Newhook unleashed a quick shot from near the face-off circle, penetrating a defensive screen to get past netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and into the far side of the net. This marked Newhook’s second crucial Game 7 goal, having previously netted the go-ahead marker, snapping a 1-1 deadlock 11 minutes and seven seconds into the third frame of Montreal’s opening-round series triumph over Tampa Bay.
“It’s a crazy feeling,” Newhook said of scoring back-to-back Game 7 winners. “It’s fun. It’s why you play the game. I think we played well enough to win, so we’re looking forward now.”
Contributions to the Canadiens’ score also came from Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc, while Jakub Dobes registered 37 saves.
Habs fans celebrated in the Bell Centre after Alex Newhook scored in overtime against the Buffalo Sabres, lifting the Canadiens to a 3-2 Game 7 victory and sending Montreal to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2021.
Rasmus Dahlin pushed the contest into overtime by evening the score at the 6:27 mark of the third period. Jordan Greenway also found the net. Luukkonen made a total of 22 saves.
Montreal’s team progresses to the Eastern Conference championship round, where they are scheduled to meet the rested Hurricanes, with their series commencing in Carolina on Thursday. The Hurricanes have secured clean sweeps in both their initial playoff matchups and have not played since their 3-2 overtime victory over Philadelphia on May 9.
The 11-day hiatus for Carolina between their postseason games represents an unprecedented duration in the history of the NHL.
Montreal’s club reaches the NHL’s penultimate playoff stage for the first time since their encounter with Vegas in the pandemic-impacted 2021 playoffs, a season where they ultimately fell to Tampa Bay in five games during the Stanley Cup final.
“It’s got to be electric. I’m sure everywhere in Montreal is going nuts right now,” Newhook said. “We owe them a lot of credit. They showed up for us all series long, and can’t wait to get back to the Bell Centre for Game 3.”
This marks the inaugural playoff clash between these two clubs since Carolina defeated Montreal in a six-game first-round series in 2006. The Hurricanes also claimed victory over Montreal in 2002, following a prior 0-5 record against the Canadiens when the franchise resided in Hartford, Connecticut.
The Canadiens are maintaining their positive progress, one year removed from their first-round elimination by Washington.
“We’re a confident group,” Newhook said. “We’ve added some pieces, and I think everyone’s kind of come together to play together and play their role to the best of their ability this far in playoffs. We’ve got to keep it rolling.”
Buffalo’s record in Game 7s now stands at 1-7, with an overtime record of 1-3.
The Sabres commence their off-season subsequent to a remarkable year where they clinched their inaugural Atlantic Division championship and concluded an NHL-record 14-season absence from the playoffs.
The rejuvenation for Buffalo started in early December, as the squad climbed from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to secure second place by compiling a 39-9-5 record across their last 53 contests.
The Sabres’ victory in the initial playoff round against Boston was their first since 2007, and the team features a youthful and skilled roster, indicating a bright outlook for Buffalo.
