2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference SFs
Game 7: Montreal Canadiens (A3) @ Buffalo Sabres (A1)
Series tied 3-3
Start time: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT
In Canada: CBC, Sportsnet (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the United States: ESPN
Streaming: Sportsnet+
Going down 1-0 in the opening minute, the Montreal Canadiens responded as they usually have in this second-round series. They scored a quick tying goal, took a lead minutes later, then really brought the Bell Centre to life when the score became a 3-1 lead, chasing goaltender Alex Lyon from the net.
Perhaps they thought that was enough to get the job done. The talk leading into the game was of how well they’d played in Game 6 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning but just couldn’t score; scoring didn’t appear to be an issue this time versus the Sabres. They said they weren’t fazed by an early goal against because they knew they had the talent to come back; they had an even-strength, power-play, and short-handed goal, from three different players, to turn the game on its head. Everything was following the script they wanted to write as they sought to wrap up the second chapter of the post-season story.
The plot twist ended up being their play on special teams following their two quick goals in odd-man situations. Buffalo received five more power plays before the night was done and scored on four of them; they had managed six goals in the first 41 opportunities in their opening 11 playoff games. It took over two minutes for them to score on Mike Matheson’s double-minor for high-sticking that made it 3-2 in the opening period, but the final three markers were scored after a combined total of 133 seconds of man-advantage time. They quickly pounced on every chance they were given, and ran away with an 8-3 win.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistics | Sabres |
|---|---|---|
| 47.4% | Expected-goal share | 52.4% |
| 3.08 | Goals per game | 3.42 |
| 2.77 | Goals against per game | 3.00 |
| 23.5% | PP% | 20.8% |
| 73.6% | PK% | 78.0% |
| Alex Newhook (6) | Most goals | Tage Thompson (5) |
| Lane Hutson (11) | Most assists | Rasmus Dahlin (10) |
| Lane Hutson (13) | Most points | Tage Thompson (15) |
That’s the bad news from the last game, but there are plenty of positive facts for Montreal ahead of the ultimate one of the series. The Canadiens haven’t lost consecutive games in the post-season, and that was a major accomplishment in a series of seven one-goal games to open their post-season. Despite the eight-goal outburst from the Sabres, they’ve still been outscored by Montreal 24-21 in the series.
At KeyBank Center, that offensive edge is even more skewed in Montreal’s favour, 13-8, and the Sabres overall have been outscored 22-15 in their six home contests. They have an identical 2-4 record to that of Montreal on home ice, so they’ve struggled to play the same style in front of their home fans that they have in enemy territory.
And this isn’t just any old home game either. It will be Buffalo’s first elimination game of the playoffs that gets contested on home ice. They took a 3-2 lead to Boston and closed out the Bruins at TD Garden, then staved off elimination for the first time on Saturday in Montreal. This will be the first time playing in front of their own nervous fans as there’s a chance that it will be the final game for their team this season. We’ve seen Montreal miss two chances to close out a series on home ice, now a team that almost perfectly mirrors its home and away records will have one of its own.
One significant difference between the teams is that this group of Canadiens players has been in this position already. It’s fair to say Montreal didn’t exactly take command of Game 7 versus Tampa Bay with just nine shots on goal, but they did get the win, thanks to ramping up their effort for a sequence in the third period to make the series-winning goal happen. They’ve proven they can come out on top in the most stressful situation an NHL team can face, and the Sabres are yet to show that they can handle that pressure.
