After six extremely tight, hard-fought games, the Montreal Canadiens saved their worst for last against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They struggled mightily to get shots on goal in game seven, unable to get through the wall of bodies the Lightning were putting in the shooting lanes, and often missing the net entirely when they did. The result was a paltry nine shots on goal for the Habs through 60 minutes. But they don’t ask how, they ask how many, and the answer you’re looking for in the playoffs is four wins. The Habs got those, and they’ll be moving on to the second round to face the Buffalo Sabres.
There are a few important things that I feel should be underlined as we await their first presence in the second round since 2021. Chief among them is that Jakub Dobeš is the real deal, and they owe him a debt of gratitude for what he pulled off in game seven.
"People sometimes say that I get too emotional. But every game I play is like a Game 7."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 4, 2026
Jakub Dobeš joins @sportsnetkyle after leading the Habs to the Second Round in the #StanleyCup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/E3R4XXnqxR
He was magnificent on Sunday night, turning away 28 of 29 shots to essentially rob Tampa of the deciding game. On the series as a whole, he outdueled Andrei Vasilevskiy, putting to bed any pre-playoff suggestions that the Habs may need to consider anyone other than him as their playoff starter. Dobeš has had his struggles this season, but ever since the Olympic break, he seems to have taken off once the team officially embraced him as their starter.
This series win wasn’t quite Jaroslav Halak in 2010, but that individual game felt a lot like it. Dobeš hasn’t needed to steal games all that much, but the fact that this team can rely on him to do that when they’re not at their best has to be an incredible boost of confidence. They can look back at their net and know that their goaltender is going to give them a shot every night, even when they don’t necessarily earn it in front of him.
The second thing we should remember, which was prevalent throughout the series and not just in game seven, is that their depth will be key to however long they can make this playoff run last.
Alex Newhook just takes a whack at this bounce and the #Habs are up 2-1. pic.twitter.com/Zn1WMAFRFy
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) May 4, 2026
The top line had a hard time producing at five-on-five with a heavy dose of the Anthony Cirelli line to take away time and space. Players like Alex Newhook, Josh Anderson, Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach, and Zachary Bolduc all stepped up in key moments to help this team recreate the usual top-line numbers in the aggregate. Depth was a key factor for the Habs in this series, and we know that the team’s big dogs can’t be held down by just any team in the league. If depth continues to be a factor, and the top line can kick their even-strength production into high gear, this team will truly find the best version of their game.
Last, but certainly not least, although the narratives today and tomorrow will be all about how the Habs stole game seven, that isn’t really how they won the series. It is, technically, insofar as it was the deciding game, and they didn’t play anywhere near their best, but how they got there matters. They were neck and neck with the Lightning through six games, and lost a few where they were the more productive team, where they didn’t get the bounces. The fact that the hockey gods rewarded them with a few in the final act of the series felt like a bit of justice.
Few fans will try to sugar coat the overall effort in game seven. It wasn’t good, but it also wasn’t indicative of how this team has been playing in these playoffs. It was the outlier, and their consistently strong play is how they were able to take the favourites to game seven in the first place. Hopefully they can learn from that game, and carry that lesson with them to Buffalo. You don’t get three playoff road wins in a single series without strong play, so we know they’re better than that one game. They know it too.
Call them young, inexperienced, ahead of schedule, whatever you want. Above all else, you should recognize them as a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll be back for round two starting on Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres.
