Montreal advanced to face the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finalThe Athletic Live TeamMay 26, 2026 at 5:21 AM EDTThe Canadiens celebrate Alex Newhook's series-winning goal Getty ImagesCanadiens win Game 7 in overtimeThe Montreal Canadiens have beaten the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, winning on Alex Newhook’s goal in overtime. The Canadiens advance to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. Game 1 of that series is scheduled for Thursday. Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc scored in the first period to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead. Mattias Samuelsson pulled one back for the Sabres in the second period before Rasmus Dahlin tied the game in the third to force overtime. Jakub Dobeš made 37 saves for Montreal in the victory. Share your reaction with us at live@theathletic.com.Tried and true formula? Getty ImagesGuhle was talking Monday morning about how his team can lean on its experience in Game 7 against the Lightning in this game. Then it seemed as though he suddenly realized what that Game 7 in Tampa was actually like.“Obviously, we didn’t probably play our best,” Guhle said, “but Dobie played great for us.”That Game 7 experience that seemed to be an advantage for the Canadiens didn’t quite turn out that way. Instead, they did their best to replicate that experience. The Canadiens beat the Lightning in that game despite putting up only nine shots on goal, an NHL record-low for a win in the Stanley Cup playoffs.This wasn’t quite that, but once the Canadiens went up 2-0 in the first, they seemed to sit back in a shell, content to defend and try to keep the Sabres to the outside while they possessed the puck in their zone for shift after shift.The Sabres made them pay for it in the second period, and erased that lead early in the third. But once the game was tied, the Canadiens went back to attacking.Sabres lean on Dahlin Getty ImagesBy midway through the third period, the Sabres had a 33-12 advantage in shot attempts and 15-6 advantage in scoring chances during Dahlin’s five-on-five minutes.It’s only fitting that the tying goal in the third period came off his stick because he was all over the ice in this game. His shot on the goal was the type of decisive, quick release that has made him one of the league’s most dangerous offensive defensemen.Dahlin had a five-point night with his team facing elimination in Game 6 and matched that level of play in Game 7. Nobody on this team has been waiting longer to play in these moments than Dahlin, and he saved his best stuff for the biggest moments of Buffalo’s season.Sabres flip game in second Getty ImagesThrough two periods, the Sabres had a 56-26 advantage in shot attempts at all strengths and a 28-17 advantage in five-on-five scoring chances. The Canadiens seemed content to give them outside ice and try to take away the dangerous areas. If not for a few highlight-reel saves from Dobeš, the Sabres could have been leading after two periods.At the end of the second period, Dobeš stopped a Thompson wrist shot from point-blank range. Before that, he made a pair of saves on Alex Tuch. In the second period alone, the Sabres had a 19-8 advantage in scoring chances. That’s when they got their first goal of the game when Samuelsson’s shot deflected off Greenway and in. But the work was done to turn the game before that.Canadiens finally get a good start Getty ImagesThe Canadiens scored first for only the second time in the series, and in so doing accomplished the No. 1 goal of any team playing a Game 7 on the road.“Try to take the crowd out of it early,” Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle said Monday morning. “It’s going to be loud in there, their building’s going pretty good. Just keep it simple.”Guhle played a primary role in that simplicity early on for Montreal. Josh Anderson had an excellent forecheck to force Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram into a turnover deep in the Buffalo zone, popping the puck free for Alexandre Texier, who found Guhle sneaking down from the point.Once he got the puck, Guhle did not attempt anything complicated. He kept it simple. Guhle threw the puck toward the net, where it struck the skate of Danault and beat Luukkonen at 4:30 of the first period.Once the Canadiens made it 2-0 with a power-play goal from Bolduc 10 minutes later, the KeyBank Center crowd was effectively taken out of it, as a nervous energy took over the building.Eastern Conference final series scheduleGame 1: Montreal at Carolina - ThursdayGame 2: Montreal at Carolina - SaturdayGame 3: Carolina at Montreal - Monday, May 25Game 4: Carolina at Montreal - Wednesday, May 27Game 5: Montreal at Carolina - Friday, May 29 (if necessary)Game 6: Carolina at Montreal - Sunday, May 31 (if necessary)Game 7: Montreal at Carolina - Tuesday, June 2 (if necessary)All times ETRest vs. rustThe Canadiens have played a lot of hockey through two rounds, but have the adrenaline heading into the Eastern Conference final. On the other hand, the Hurricanes are so well rested. Going to be interesting! Newhook achieves rare feat Getty ImagesAlex Newhook has become the second player in NHL history to score multiple Game 7 series-clinching goals in a single postseason. The only other player to do so is Nathan Horton, for the Bruins in the 2011 conference quarterfinals and conference final. Dobeš comes up big again Imagn ImagesJakub Dobeš in two Game 7s this postseason:2-0 record.956 save percentage4.97 goals saved above expected As a rookie no less!Montreal swept Carolina in the regular seasonThe Hurricanes' romp through the first two rounds of the playoffs speaks for itself, but Montreal's regular-season matchups against Carolina demonstrate that the Canadiens are up for the challenge in their Eastern Conference final matchup.Here is how Montreal fared in the three regular season matchups:Jan. 1 in Raleigh: Canadiens 7, Hurricanes 5March 24 in Montreal: Canadiens 5, Hurricanes 2 March 29 in Raleigh: Canadiens 3, Hurricanes 1Game statsCanadiens 3, Sabres 2Shots on goal: 25 - 39Shot attempts: 59 - 91Power play: 1/1 - 0/1Penalty minutes: 2 - 2Faceoffs: 46% - 54%Hits: 28 - 21Blocked shots: 22 - 12The shots on goal and shot attempts illustrate how well Buffalo controlled this game in terms of creating chances. That will serve as little consolation, however. How much playoff heartbreak can Buffalo take? Getty ImagesFor the second time in 2026, one of Buffalo's beloved teams has suffered an overtime loss in the second round of the playoffs.At least the Sabres were a success story in 2025-26, snapping a playoff drought and winning three games in the second round before tonight's 3-2 overtime loss.The Bills' fate was eerily similar, but arguably more demoralizing. Josh Allen and Co. came into Denver for an AFC Divisional matchup and appeared to deal the Broncos a crushing blow on a long completion from Allen to Brandin Cooks in overtime, but the Broncos' Ja'Quan McMillian wrestled the football away for a momentum-swinging interception. The Broncos converted the turnover into Wil Lutz's game-winning field goal, giving Buffalo a 33-30 loss. The loss cost Bills coach Sean McDermott his job and Buffalo the chance at their first Super Bowl appearance in the 21st century.the Sabres made so much progress this year - from the December turnaround to this playoff push. this should be the start of an exciting playoff window— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) May 19, 2026