Huge celebrations among the Montreal Canadiens. © APA / JOE HRYCYCH

Crazy Game 7: Montreal dreams of the Stanley Cup

Jubilation for the Montreal Canadiens, utter frustration for the Buffalo Sabres. A wild play in overtime ensured the Canadiens won 3-2 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

19 May 2026

From: sn

After a face-off in Montreal's zone, the Sabres initially retained possession of the puck, but then lost it, allowing the Canadiens to launch a counterattack. Suddenly, things moved quickly: Alexandre Carrier passed the puck to Alex Newhook. Surrounded by several defensemen, he didn't hesitate and fired a powerful shot into the net, sparking total euphoria.

The players jumped for joy along the boards. With that goal, they won the Stanley Cup Playoffs series 4-3 in Game 7 of the second round. They will now face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final and the NHL Playoff Semifinals.

Newhook wins game 7 again

“It’s a crazy feeling. There are obviously a lot of emotions involved,” said Newhook, who had already scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Canadiens’ 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. “The whole series has been a real battle, and then to go to overtime in Game 7… Sometimes all it takes is one shot. When I crossed the line, I thought I had a chance to shoot. It’s great to see the puck go in. There’s no better feeling than celebrating a win like this with your teammates.”

Newhook is the second player in NHL history to score multiple game-winning goals in Game 7 of a single playoff season. The only other player to achieve this feat was Nathan Horton with the Boston Bruins in 2011.