Alex Newhook’s goal at 11:22 of overtime ends Buffalo’s cinderella season
The Buffalo Sabres were the better club for most of their Game 7 match with the Montreal Canadiens, but in spite of outshooting the Habs 39-25, the Sabres sluggish and tentative first period had them playing catch-up for the rest of the game. Buffalo came back to tie the game in the third period, but midway through the first overtime, Habs playoff hero Alex Newhook scored his seventh goal of the postseason to send Montreal to the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-2 win at KeyBank Center on Monday.
The loss was as devastating for the Sabres as it was filled with jubilation for the Canadiens, as Buffalo was not on the favorable end of a pair of controversial calls. Phillip Danault’s opening goal went off the Habs center’s right skate, but after being reviewed by league, it was not deemed to be directed into the net with a distinct kicking motion. After Rasmus Dahlin tied the game in the third, the Sabres appeared to take the lead, as Jordan Greenway jabbed at the puck under Dobes pads, but the referee blew the play dead just as Greenway knocked the puck loose for linemate Beck Malenstyn to push it over the goal line.
"I thought it was a little bit of a quick whistle, and because you can always go back and look at those,” Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. But, (I) didn't really get an explanation on it.”
The Sabres had opportunities in overtime, including a Tage Thompson odd-man break where he attempted a toe-drag past the Montreal defenders and Dobes, but a turnover by Dahlin and Thompson at the blueline led to a Montreal counterattack, where Newhook knuckled the puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to end Buffalo’s season.
"I think we said at the start of this series it was going to be two really good teams playing. We had some momentum swings. You get to overtime, we had a couple of really good chances when we had the chances in our hands. Those are the opportunities that you hope you get. We just didn't finish." Ruff said. "We had a couple great opportunities, even in the third, the Helenius toe(drag) glove save that almost went. I think the the ice was fairly tilted, we had a lot of opportunities to make a difference in the game."
Other comments after the game:
Rasmus Dahlin on the game-winning goal:
“That was on me. I can’t do that.”
Dahlin on the overall game:
“We could have scored a few more. (Dobes) made some good saves. It comes down to small things. Today, they got the bounces.”
Dahlin on the emotions of the season ending the way it did:
“It sucks.”
On the tying goal and the set-up by Owen Power:
"Great play by him, it wasn't enough though."
How hard is it to see the season end the way it did:
"It's one shot that decides the whole season, it sucks."
Can you appreciate the success this club had during the season and the fan reaction after the game?
“Not right now. Tomorrow, I will appreciate more things”
Tage Thompson:
"It's tough. I thought we played hard all year to get to this point. I don't think anyone in this room felt like we were done yet. Just disappointed."
“I thought we played a really good game, which makes it even tougher of a taste. Had a lot of chances. (Luukkonen) played great, kept it tight for us, and claw our way back into it, and felt like we had all the momentum, just couldn't score. (I) really thought that was gonna end different.”
"We were feeling good in here, tons of confidence in this room. I think everyone in here felt like this was going to end different, and probably felt like we deserved a little better outcome, but it's the way it goes sometimes, and we just got to unfortunately take that taste with us into the summer and do something about it."
The Sabres players will hold locker cleanout media availabilities on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Ruff and GM Jarmo Kekalainen's availabilities later in the week.
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