The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime on Monday night, with Alex Newhook burying the game-winning goal to clinch the series, per the official Fox Sports box score. The victory at the KeyBank Center eliminates Buffalo and officially advances Montreal to the Eastern Conference Final.
Montreal entered the Game 7 clash in Buffalo needing to recover from a humiliating 8-3 blowout on home ice in Game 6. The Canadiens had surrendered seven unanswered goals in that previous matchup after taking an early 3-1 lead. They leaned heavily on recent experience to close out this series, having already won a crucial Game 7 on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the opening round of the 2026 playoffs.
The heartbreaking overtime defeat ends a milestone year for the Sabres. The franchise had finally broken a 15-year postseason drought just to reach the 2026 playoffs, but this latest loss drops Buffalo’s all-time Game 7 record to an abysmal 1-6, while setting up the Canadiens to face a fully rested Carolina Hurricanes squad that has been sitting idle since May 9, according to AP News.