The Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres will face off for the last time in these playoffs in a do-or-die Game 7 in Buffalo at 7:30 PM.
After a complete collapse on home ice on Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens find themselves on the brink of elimination for the second time in these playoffs as they face a do-or-die Game 7 with the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Centre on Monday night. The last time the Canadiens had to play a Game 7, they came out on top, but they needed a little help from the Forum ghosts, who had apparently made the trip to Florida for their game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They won, but they didn’t deserve to with just nine shots on net. They’ll need to be better than that tonight.
Tonight’s tilt will be the 203rd Game 7 in league history and only the second in these playoffs, with the Canadiens starring in both. The Sabres will be playing only their eighth Game 7 in franchise history, and so far they have a 1-6 record, but are 1-1 when the game is played at home. Both home games required overtime. Meanwhile, this will be the 26th Game 7 in Canadiens history and the 15th on the road. The franchise has a 16-9 record and is 8-6 on the road.
The Habs will not be holding a morning skate today, but we may get some lineup hints if the healthy scratches take to the ice. Joe Veleno took an elbow to the head in the last game, and one can wonder if he’ll be dressed tonight or if Martin St-Louis will decide to make some changes after the disastrous Game 6.
That’s not a decision to take lightly, especially after using the same lineup for the last six games. Anyone you decide to bring in will be somewhat rusty. Brendan Gallagher has not played since Game 7 against the Lightning, while Oliver Kapanen’s last game was on April 26. When Gallagher entered the first round in Game five, he provided a much-needed spark and scored the first goal of the game. Can the veteran do the same against a much faster and younger Buffalo team? As for Kapanen, he has two goals against the Sabres in four games this season, but that was in the regular season.
St-Louis could also elect to mix his lines a little bit. The top line had an awful game in Game 6, and that was in large part because Juraj Slafkovsky was ineffective. On the other end, Ivan Demidov looks like he has finally found his rhythm in this series; perhaps he could cause some damage alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. There’s also the possibility of reuniting Alexandre Texier, Kirby Dach and Zach Bolduc, who worked well as a unit against Tampa.
Whichever combinations St-Louis decides to put on the ice, though, the Canadiens’ top players will have to be better. Montreal also can’t afford to miss golden opportunities. Game 6 might have been vastly different if Texier hadn’t missed the pass that would have sent him on the breakaway on the first shift of the second period.
In the last two games, St-Louis started with Slafkovsky, Suzuki, and Caufield, and they were scored on following defensive-zone turnovers by Caufield on Thursday and Slafkovsky on Saturday. It might be an idea not to lead with that line, but with an energy line that can set the tone in this pivotal game.
While Saturday’s defeat wasn’t Jakub Dobes’ fault, the Czech netminder can play a much better game than he did, and on Monday night, he’ll need to have his A-game. So far in these playoffs, the 24-year-old netminder has always bounced back (or, as St-Louis would say, "forward") after a loss; he is 5-0 with a .911 save percentage. In those five games, the Canadiens have scored 19 goals and only allowed nine for a 1.80 GAA. That’s the kind of performance Montreal needs. With a win, Dobes would become only the fifth goaltender in franchise history with multiple Game 7 wins; he would join Ken Dryden, Patrick Roy, Jaroslav Halak, and Carey Price in the very select club.
In Game 7 against Tampa, Dobes allowed just one goal on 29 shots, while Suzuki scored the team’s first goal, and Alex Newhook scored the unorthodox game-winner. Kaiden Guhle assisted on both goals, while Lane Hutson, who leads the team in scoring, had an assist. The team that scores first in a Game 7 has won the game 75% of the time (152-50), which is what Montreal did against the Bolts, but in six games against the Sabres, they’ve only scored the first goal once. So far in this series, the home team has only won two of the six games.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM, and you can catch the game on ESPN, SN, TVAS, and CBC. Jean Hebert and Wes McCauley are set to officiate, while Scott Cherrey and Devin Berg will be the linemen. Whoever wins the game will head to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Conference Final on Thursday. It will be the Canes’ first game since May 9, when they completed the sweep against the Philadelphia Flyers.
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