Buffalo Sabres, Canadiens Push 2-2 Game 7 Into Longest Nhl Game
The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens took their Game 7 to overtime tied 2-2, sending the matchup into the longest nhl game conversation right away. This is playoff overtime, so the teams keep playing until someone scores and the winner moves on to the Eastern Conference Final.
Sabres Canadiens And Game 7
Unlike the regular season, NHL playoff overtime is 5-on-5, not 3-on-3. Each period lasts 20 minutes, so a tied game can keep going in full overtime blocks until one team ends it.
If a period finishes without a goal, the teams get a break, the ice is spruced up, and they switch benches before the next period begins. That structure is what puts a Game 7 like this in the league’s longest-game lane if neither side breaks through quickly.
1936 Sets The Benchmark
The longest NHL game came in 1936, when the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons in six overtime periods. That game logged 116 minutes and 30 seconds of extra game time, the standard this kind of playoff marathon is measured against.
A more recent reference point came in 2023, when the Florida Panthers beat the Hurricanes in four overtimes in a marathon playoff game. The Sabres-Canadiens winner would next face the Carolina Hurricanes, so the stakes are immediate as the overtime clock keeps rolling.
Carolina Awaits The Winner
For Buffalo and Montreal, the only thing that changes now is how long the night lasts. The score is still 2-2, the format is still 5-on-5, and every 20-minute period is another step toward the Eastern Conference Final or another entry into playoff history.
