The Montreal Canadiens are moving on to the second round of the NHL playoffs after a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 on Sunday night. Alex Newhook's go-ahead goal with under nine minutes remaining broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Canadiens to the next round, where they will face the Buffalo Sabres.
The Canadiens opened the scoring late in the first period when Nick Suzuki's redirection deflected off a Lightning defender and into the net. Tampa Bay responded in the second period with a power-play goal by rookie Dominic James, tipping in a shot from Charle-Edouard D'Astous. The game remained tied until Newhook's decisive goal in the third period, where he batted a puck out of mid-air and past Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Goaltender Jakub Dobes was solid in net for Montreal, making 28 saves.
This marks Montreal's first series victory since their Stanley Cup Final appearance against Tampa Bay in 2021. Every game in the series was decided by a single goal, with four games requiring overtime, highlighting the close competition between the two teams. The Canadiens managed to win despite being outshot significantly, including a period in which they recorded no shots on goal. The series win provides a significant boost for the Canadiens, who look to continue their playoff run against Buffalo.
