Newhook Overtime Goal Sends Canadiens to Eastern Conference Final

Alex Newhook scored in overtime and rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes turned aside 37 shots as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in Game 7 at KeyBank Center on Monday night, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in nearly a decade. The Canadiens, who entered the playoffs as an underdog, will now face the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes beginning Thursday in Raleigh.

How the game unfolded

The Canadiens raced to a 2-0 lead in the first period. The opener came on an awkward redirection off the skate of Phillip Danault, the former Canadiens centre now in his second tour with Montreal, that beat Sabres goaltender Devon Levi. Zachary Bolduc, who had been one of Montreal's most reliable shooters through the series, doubled the lead on a power-play one-timer.

Buffalo settled into the game in the second period. Jordan Greenway cashed in on a rebound to cut the deficit in half, and defenceman Rasmus Dahlin tied the contest in the third with a long-range slap shot that found its way through traffic. The third period belonged largely to the Sabres, who pressed for a winner and were rewarded with several quality chances before regulation expired.

Overtime, though, belonged to Newhook. The forward, traded to Montreal during a rebuilding phase several seasons ago, deposited a feed from defenceman Mike Matheson behind Levi to send the visitors' bench into celebration. The Canadiens, who entered the playoffs as the East's second wild card, became one of the surprise stories of the post-season.

The Dobes story

Jakub Dobes has been a central figure in the Canadiens' run. The rookie became only the third goaltender in Canadiens history to win two Game 7s in a single postseason and the sixth rookie in NHL history to do so. His 37 saves in Game 7 included several at point-blank range in the third period, when Buffalo pressed hardest.

Head coach Martin St-Louis credited the rookie's poise and said the goaltender's calm under pressure had set the tone for the team. Dobes, in his first full season in the NHL, has emerged as one of the league's breakout playoff performers and has handled an increasingly large workload as Montreal advanced through the bracket.

The road to the conference final

Montreal's path through the bracket has been demanding. After surviving the first round in seven games, the team beat the second-seeded Sabres in another seven-game series. The Canadiens swept the regular-season series against the Hurricanes, winning all three games in regulation and outscoring Carolina 15 to 8 over those three contests. That regular-season record will not impress Carolina supporters, however. The Hurricanes are eight and zero in this year's playoffs after sweeps in the first two rounds.

Carolina enters the conference final as a heavy favourite by virtue of seeding, playoff record and possession metrics. Montreal enters as a young, energetic team that has consistently outplayed expectations. The series begins Thursday at 8 p.m. eastern at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.

What it means for the franchise

For the Canadiens, this is the deepest playoff run since 2021, when the team reached the Stanley Cup Final in a pandemic-shortened postseason. The current run is, in some ways, more significant. It is the product of a long rebuilding effort that included a 2022 first-overall pick and a series of patient roster moves.

The team's young core, including Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Lane Hutson, has matured into a credible top end. Veterans such as Brendan Gallagher, Danault and Matheson have provided leadership and timely contributions. Dobes' emergence has been the final piece that has elevated the team from competitive to dangerous.

The Sabres' end of the line

For Buffalo, the loss closes a season that had reignited belief in a long-suffering hockey market. The Sabres had ended a lengthy playoff drought to qualify, then beat a higher seed in the first round before falling to Montreal. The franchise will have to absorb the loss and decide where it goes from here.

Head coach Lindy Ruff said his team had given everything in the series and that the future remains bright. Captain Rasmus Dahlin's emergence as one of the league's premier defencemen, combined with the development of a young forward group, gives the Sabres a foundation to build on. The franchise's challenge will be to sustain that growth through what is expected to be a busy summer of decisions on contracts and roster moves.

What's next

The Eastern Conference Final begins Thursday at 8 p.m. eastern in Raleigh. Game 2 follows on Saturday at 7 p.m. The series shifts to the Bell Centre in Montreal for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Wednesday. Games 5, 6 and 7, if needed, are scheduled for Friday May 29, Sunday May 31 and Tuesday June 2 respectively.

The Canadiens will lean on the same combination that has carried them this far: opportunistic offence from their top six, structured defence in the neutral zone, and a goaltender who has shown he can withstand sustained pressure. They will need every bit of that against a Hurricanes team that has dominated through two rounds.

The view from Montreal

In Montreal, the response to the Game 7 victory was immediate. The streets near the Bell Centre filled with fans within minutes of the final horn, even though the game was played in Buffalo. Sales of Canadiens jerseys and other team merchandise have surged through the playoff run, and television ratings for the team's games have reached levels not seen in years.

For a market that has prized its hockey team for more than a century, the run has reignited a familiar enthusiasm. Whatever happens in the conference final, the team has given its city a longer playoff spring than most observers thought possible.

The series-by-series climb

The Canadiens entered the playoffs as the second wild card from the East with 95 regular-season points. Their first-round series was won in seven games against a higher seeded opponent, with St-Louis's group surviving on goaltending and timely scoring rather than dominance. The second round, against the Sabres, followed a similar script. The pattern has been close games, narrow margins and clutch performances from a young roster.

The team's special teams have been a quiet strength through the run. The power play has produced timely goals, including Bolduc's marker in Game 7, and the penalty kill has neutralised opposing units that featured significant offensive talent. The combination has been one of the most reliable parts of Montreal's playoff identity.

The coaching influence

Martin St-Louis, in his fourth full season as head coach after taking over from Dominique Ducharme mid-season, has developed a reputation as one of the most thoughtful tactical voices in the league. His public messaging has emphasised composure, learning and the value of difficult experiences, themes that have shaped the team's culture through the rebuild years.

The Canadiens have made significant changes to playing style and structure under St-Louis. The team plays a quick-transition game that suits its skill base, while emphasising defensive structure that compensates for areas where the roster is still developing. The combination has produced a playoff identity that has been hard to predict and harder to neutralise.

The Hurricanes' regular-season dominance

Carolina enters the conference final with 113 regular-season points and one of the best possession metrics in the league. Coached by Rod Brind'Amour, the team has been a model of consistency over multiple seasons. The challenge for Carolina has been converting regular-season excellence into a deep playoff run, something the team has fallen short of in previous years.

The Hurricanes' eight-and-zero playoff record through the first two rounds is the strongest playoff start in franchise history. The team's structured forecheck, depth scoring and goaltending have all clicked through the playoffs. Whether that pattern continues against the Canadiens' opportunistic style is the central question of the series.

What it means for Canadian hockey

With Edmonton and Ottawa both eliminated earlier in the playoffs, Montreal carries the Canadian flag into the conference finals as the country's last team standing. The Canadian Stanley Cup drought, now in its fourth decade, continues to weigh on hockey fans across the country, and a Canadiens run to the final would put the spotlight on that history again.

For now, though, the focus is on Thursday in Raleigh. The Canadiens have already exceeded expectations. Whether they can do it once more, against the team many observers consider the best in the East, will be the next chapter of a season that has already produced more surprises than most.