The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens will settle their first-round series Monday night in Game 7, with the winner advancing to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on.
The teams have split the series 3-3, and each has already delivered a dominant road win in Games 5 and 6. Montreal crushed Buffalo at home in Game 5, then the Sabres answered Saturday with an 8-3 victory behind four points from Tage Thompson and a shutout from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after he replaced Alex Lyon in Game 6.
That is the backdrop for a game that has been shaped as much by star power as by urgency. Rasmus Dahlin has taken one penalty in every game against Montreal, a reminder that the Sabres’ top defenseman has been fighting the edge of the series while also carrying the responsibility that comes with being a first-time Norris Trophy finalist. Buffalo also needs more from Alex Tuch, who has gone six games without a point, the longest pointless streak of his Sabres tenure, even though he has put 17 shots on net against the Canadiens.
Montreal, meanwhile, has leaned on Nick Suzuki all postseason, and the captain has again been the clearest measure of how well the Canadiens are playing. In Montreal’s seven victories this postseason, Suzuki has nine points. In the Canadiens’ Game 7 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had two assists, including one on Juraj Slafkovsky’s series winner. In Montreal’s six losses this postseason, though, he has only one goal and two assists.
After the Game 6 loss, Suzuki called it probably the worst game we’ve played and said the Canadiens need to look in the mirror. Dahlin, for his part, has tried to frame Buffalo’s approach in simpler terms, saying dogs need to be dogs. That is the standard now for both teams: one more game, one more night, and the season either continues or ends.
The series has been defined by sharp swings, with both clubs proving they can take over on the road and both showing how quickly momentum can disappear. Buffalo’s offense has already shown it can break open a game when Thompson, Dahlin and Tuch are all involved. Montreal has shown that when Suzuki is producing, it can survive almost anything else. Greg Wyshynski picked a 5-4 Canadiens win in overtime, a forecast that captures how thin the margin has become. The only certainty is that Monday’s winner earns a place in the Eastern Conference finals, and the loser is done.
