BUFFALO, N.Y. — A wild and unpredictable NHL playoff series between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens will reach its conclusion Monday night with a winner-take-all Game 7 at Buffalo’s home arena (7:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN).
The series has defied conventional wisdom, with Buffalo’s coach Lindy Ruff joking about his team’s poor home performance while Montreal’s coach Martin St. Louis used scientific terminology to describe his team’s mindset heading into the final game.
“It didn’t get switched,” Ruff commented Sunday with a laugh, acknowledging Buffalo’s disappointing 2-4 home record during these playoffs. “But we’re looking forward to giving our fans our best game.”
St. Louis offered a unique perspective on his team’s approach following Saturday’s crushing 8-3 defeat at home in Game 6. Rather than focusing on bouncing back, he prefers the concept of bouncing forward.
“I just feel bounce back, you come back to where you were,” St. Louis explained. “Bounce forward, you’re actually further than where you were. Physics.”
The winner will advance to face the well-rested Carolina Hurricanes, who completed sweeps of both their playoff series and have been waiting since their 3-2 overtime victory against Philadelphia on May 9. Carolina will host the Eastern Conference finals opener Thursday night.
This series has been characterized by road team success, early-period scoring explosions totaling 20 of 45 goals in first periods, frequent goaltender changes, and Buffalo’s unconventional decision to skip practice before Game 6.
Saturday’s contest perfectly illustrated the series’ chaotic nature. Montreal raced to a 3-1 advantage by the 10:14 mark of the opening period before surrendering seven consecutive goals. The reverse occurred in Game 5, where Buffalo held a 3-2 lead at the 10:15 mark of the first period before falling 6-3 at home.
Ruff has been so concerned about replicating road success that he contemplated having his team stay at a Buffalo hotel Sunday night, despite playing at home.
“I don’t know the answer. I can try to make one up,” Ruff admitted regarding his squad’s impressive 5-1 road record.
Montreal is drawing inspiration from their first-round series victory over Tampa Bay. After losing 1-0 at home in Game 6 of that series, the Canadiens responded with a 2-1 series-clinching triumph on the road.
“It’s disappointing to have this effort on home ice. We can’t let that be our last game,” captain Nick Suzuki said about dropping to 2-4 at Montreal. “We’ve been in this situation already, so we have experience, and we just got to win one game.”
Both franchises represent the youngest teams by average age remaining in playoff contention and are relatively new to recent postseason success. Buffalo is experiencing their first playoff appearance in 15 years, while Montreal is making their fourth postseason run in nine years.
Montreal holds an advantage in Game 7 experience after defeating Tampa Bay, while Buffalo’s roster includes only eight players who have participated in a seventh game.
Among those veterans is forward Alex Tuch, who compiled a 2-1 record in seventh games during his four seasons with Vegas. His most memorable loss came when the Golden Knights surrendered four third-period power-play goals in a 5-4 overtime defeat to San Jose during a 2019 first-round series.
“I’m going to try to give some of my wisdom, but at the same time, I don’t want to talk too much about my past experiences or what could go right or what can go wrong,” Tuch said.
“I’ve said it a hundred times, you got to go out there and just play hockey,” he continued. “I think we’re the better team. I think we’re going to come out and compete hard, and that’s all we can control.”
Historically, Buffalo holds a 1-6 record in seventh games, with their sole series victory occurring in a 1997 first-round matchup against Ottawa. Montreal boasts a 16-9 Game 7 record, tied with Boston for the NHL lead in seventh-game victories.
Goaltending remains uncertain for both teams. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is anticipated to start for Buffalo after being removed during Game 5. He performed well in relief Saturday, stopping all 18 shots after replacing Alex Lyon, who allowed three goals on four attempts.
Montreal plans to start rookie Jakub Dobes, who was pulled after surrendering six goals on 33 shots in Game 6.
“Every loss is hard to sleep on, but in playoffs, it’s really after midnight you move on,” Canadiens veteran forward Phillip Danault said. “I know we’re young, but there’s no excuses. We know how we can play and we know how good we can be.”
