Canadiens Win 2-1 in Game 7 to Habs Schedule Second Round
The habs schedule took a turn Sunday night in Tampa, Fla., where the Montreal Canadiens beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7 and moved into the second round of the NHL playoffs. Montreal had not advanced since losing the Stanley Cup Finals to Tampa Bay in 2021, so this win changed the path of its postseason immediately.
Game 7 in Tampa
Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored for Montreal, while Jakub Dobes stopped 28 shots to hold off a Lightning push. The Canadiens were limited to nine shots in Game 7 and still finished the series with a win, a result built on one-goal margins and a long night of survival.
The series never opened up. Seven games were decided by one goal, and four went to overtime, which left little room for either side to create separation. Montreal found it in the final game anyway, and Dobes’ work in net gave the Canadiens the answer they needed after being outshot so heavily.
Martin St. Louis in the room
Martin St. Louis used a line from The Wolf of Wall Street to drive the message home after the win, pounding his chest and telling his players, “We’re not leaving,” The coach later said, “I feel like you can’t take the player out of me, right?” He also said, “I don’t try to be in the locker room a lot. To me, this is their space. It’s their team. It’s not my team. I try and steer them. But every now and then I have my moment with them. I try and pick my spot and a night like tonight, I wanted to be with them and we had some fun.”
That finish fit the shape of the series. Montreal had already spent seven games in a tight fight, and Sunday’s 2-1 result matched the same pattern instead of breaking it. The Canadiens never needed a high-volume offensive night to advance; they needed one more save, one more finish, and one last stop after 28 shots came at Dobes.
Buffalo on Wednesday night
Montreal’s next step is already set: Game 1 of the second-round series against the Sabres is Wednesday night in Buffalo. The first-round win ended a drought that dated back to 2021, and it sends the Canadiens forward with a road start and no margin for a slow opening shift.
