Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens

Newhook became just the second player in NHL history to score multiple Game 7 series-clinching goals in a single post-season, joining Nathan Horton, who accomplished the feat for the Boston Bruins in 2011. Newhook previously scored the Game 7 winner in the first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a 2-1 victory that launched Montreal into this second-round matchup.

"You can't buy that experience," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "It's amazing. I'm so happy for the players to live that. To get to live this do-or-die situation, scoring the big goal in overtime — that feeling a player has is unbelievable."

Montreal came out flying and built a 2-0 first-period lead. Phillip Danault opened the scoring at 4:30 when Kaiden Guhle's centering pass deflected off his right skate and past Luukkonen. The play started when Josh Anderson won a puck battle with Bowen Byram behind the Buffalo net.

Zachary Bolduc doubled the lead on the power play at 14:29. Nick Suzuki delivered a no-look backhand feed from the left corner to Bolduc, who roofed a one-timer over Luukkonen's glove and under the crossbar from the right circle.

Buffalo clawed back in the second period. Jordan Greenway cut the deficit to 2-1 at 13:19 when Mattias Samuelsson's point shot deflected off Greenway's left leg as he screened Jakub Dobes in front.

The Sabres carried that momentum into the third. Captain Rasmus Dahlin tied the game at 2-2 at 6:27, taking a short feed from Owen Power and one-timing it short-side over Dobes' blocker from low in the left circle.

"They really took it to us in the second and third," Suzuki said. "But once the game got tied, I think we actually started to play better."

Jakub Dobes rebounded emphatically from a difficult Game 6 performance, turning aside 37 of 39 shots. He had been pulled midway through the third period of an 8-3 loss at Bell Centre after allowing six goals on 33 shots.

"I actually felt really good this game," Dobes said. "I think me getting pulled at home was kind of a wake-up call. I took it personal. And we won today, so I'm really happy."

Dobes joined elite company, becoming the third goaltender in Canadiens history to win two Game 7s in a single post-season, and the sixth rookie in NHL history to reach that milestone.

At the other end, Luukkonen made 22 saves but could not stop Newhook's knuckleball in overtime. The Sabres goalie was visibly distraught, ripping off his mask and throwing it down the tunnel after the game-winner.

"It sucks," Luukkonen said bluntly. "It's nothing else. It sucks."

For Buffalo, the pain was raw but the context undeniable. The Sabres ended a 15-year playoff drought this season, finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division after winning the division title for the first time in over a decade. They were dead last in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 8 at 11-14-4 before a stunning turnaround.

"It hurts. I told the team it hurts," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "That pain will go away, but I won't let this one game define the season we had. I told the players how proud I was of them."

Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson and the Sabres pushed everything they had at Montreal in the third period and overtime, outshooting the Canadiens 6-3 in the extra session. But Dobes stood tall, and Newhook made them pay.

"This is a giant step for us," Ruff added. "A giant step for all the players to really get a feel of what it's really like. To be proud of being a Buffalo Sabre."

The Canadiens, the No. 3 seed from the Atlantic Division, advance to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time under Martin St. Louis. They will face the top-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday, May 21 in Raleigh.

"I can't imagine what's going on back there," Canadiens forward Josh Anderson said of Montreal. "They must be going crazy."

For St. Louis, the moment was deeply personal. Before celebrating with his players, the Canadiens coach looked up to the heavens.

"I spoke to my mother a lot during the overtime," St. Louis revealed. "I thanked her."