On Monday night, the second round series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres came down to a seventh and deciding game. The Sabres had the benefit of home ice and the momentum from their Game 6 rout, while Montreal hoped to continue their road strength and ability to recover following a playoff loss. The result was a 3-2 overtime win for the Habs.
Here are my notes from Game 7.
What a recovery game from Jakub Dobes!
After being pulled in Game 6 at the Bell Centre, and after carrying the Canadiens through two gruelling series, Dobes was owed a bit of respite. Instead he got a Sabres team that wouldn’t quit, and a defense group that was determined to tempt fate.
Nonetheless, Dobes held the fort and gave the Habs a chance to win. I love that he’s already talking about starting the next series the right way.
What a playoff so far for Alex Newhook!
That OT winner may be the biggest goal he’s scored for the Habs so far this postseason, but that was his seventh and a couple others were pretty significant. Newhook is a gamer… the kind of player that gets you through the playoffs.
Sometimes you just have to get pucks on net with a little traffic. That’s what Newhook did with Evans driving the net, and the rolling puck shot was enough to fool UPL.
Montreal’s depth continues to make up for the gaps.
The Canadiens might not have their second line centreman yet, but they do have solid depth, and it’s carried them so far.
From Danault driving the net and redirecting the shot for the opening goal, to Bolduc sniping one on the second wave of the power play, to Anderson being dangerous on every shift, the list goes on.
They’ll need that depth to keep rolling against a deep Carolina team. Go Habs Go!
Hab At Her 