The Montreal Canadiens have done it again. In a thrilling Game 7 showdown, Alex Newhook broke a tie with just 8:53 left on the clock, leading the Canadiens to a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. This win closes out an unforgettable first-round series that had fans on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
The Canadiens now advance to face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, marking their first series win since falling to the Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Game 1 is set for Wednesday night in Buffalo, and the energy is already electric.
Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes was a wall in net, stopping 28 shots and keeping the Lightning at bay. Captain Nick Suzuki also found his groove, netting his first goal of the series to give Montreal an early boost. Every game in this series was decided by a single goal, with four of them stretching into overtime. In fact, the score was tied or within one goal for all but six minutes across the entire seven-game battle.
For Tampa Bay, this marks their fourth straight first-round exit, a tough pill to swallow for a team that came within two wins of a Stanley Cup three-peat back in 2022. The Lightning's defense was relentless, holding the Canadiens without a shot for nearly 27 minutes from the first period into the third, and limiting them to just four shots through two periods. Brandon Hagel made an incredible sliding stick save on an open net in the final minute, but the Lightning couldn't find the equalizer during a 6-on-5 and 6-on-4 advantage in the dying seconds.
Montreal made the most of their chances, scoring twice on just eight shots and finishing with only nine total. A bit of luck played its part, too. After Lane Hutson's slap shot went wide and bounced back into play, Newhook skated in, backhanded the puck out of the air, and watched it deflect off Andrei Vasilevskiy's pad and into the net.
In other playoff action, the Colorado Avalanche pulled off a wild 8-6 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their second-round series. Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury, and Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-netter to seal the deal. It was a game for the history books—one of only 10 playoff games with at least 15 combined goals, and just the second since 1994.
As the playoffs heat up, gear up for every moment with our latest collection of fan favorites. Whether you're cheering for the Canadiens, Sabres, or any other team, we've got you covered from head to toe.