The Montreal Canadiens punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals after an uneven yet clutch performance in Game 7.
After taking a 2-0 lead against the Buffalo Sabres, the Canadiens watched their lead evaporate in the second and third periods as Buffalo dominated the final 40 minutes of regulation, getting goals from Jordan Greenway and Rasmus Dahlin to force overtime.
There, Canadiens forward Alex Newhook played the hero, scoring the series winner at 11:22 in overtime and accomplishing some history in the process.
(Here’s the French call of the goal, by the way, because everyone needs to hear this.)
The goal was Newhook’s second Game 7 series winner of this year’s postseason after he dispatched the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the first round, knocking a bouncing puck out of midair off Andrei Vasilevskiy and in midway through the third period.
According to NHL PR, Newhook is just the second player in NHL history to score multiple Game 7 series-clinching goals in a single postseason, joining Nathan Horton who did so as a member with the Boston Bruins in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Conference Quarterfinals and Conference Finals).
“Well, it’s a crazy feeling you know to come up and get two wins to keep us going here in the playoffs,” Newhook said to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan after the victory. “It’s fun. It’s why you play the game.”
Jakub Dobes also had an incredible performance in the game, making 37 saves in the victory. He’s now gone 2-0 in Montreal’s two Game 7’s this postseason. Dobes performance came after surrendering 6 goals on 33 shots in an 8-3 loss in Game 6.
“I take things pretty personal and obviously getting pulled at home it’s personal to me,” Dobes said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “I was just making sure to be prepared and show everyone how good I am. It was definitely a hard moment but I love these moments — it makes me more hungry. I was just trying to prove myself again and show up for the guys.”
Martin St. Louis’s Canadiens are now 6-0 following a loss in this year’s postseason, outscoring their opponents 22-11.
“It’s cool,” Newhook said. “It takes a whole group to get where we’re at right now.”
Montreal will now have two days before their matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes begins in the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. After sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers, the Hurricanes will be waiting for them with 11 days of rest — a new modern-day NHL record.
