Montreal Canadiens beat Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 overtime thriller
Alex Newhook scored an overtime winner as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in Game 7 on Monday to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The dynamic forward fired a shot through a screen past goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 11 minutes into the extra period to seal the series in Buffalo.
It is remarkably the second time during this postseason that the Montreal attacker has netted a decisive series-clinching goal.
He previously broke a third-period deadlock to eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round of the playoffs.
Dobes stands tall under pressure
The visiting side were heavily reliant on the heroics of goaltender Jakub Dobes, who delivered an outstanding 37-save performance.
Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc also found the back of the net in regulation time to help build the initial Montreal advantage.
Buffalo forced sudden death when defenceman Rasmus Dahlin levelled the score midway through the third period.
Jordan Greenway was the other goalscorer for the defeated hosts, while Luukkonen finished the night with 22 saves.
Historic wait for well-rested Hurricanes
Montreal will now travel to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals starting on Thursday.
The Carolina franchise will enjoy a significant rest advantage after impressively sweeping their first two postseason series.
They have not played since eliminating the Philadelphia Flyers on May 9, resulting in an unprecedented 11-day break.
This extended layoff officially marks the longest duration between playoff fixtures in National Hockey League history.