Newhook scores late as Canadiens eliminate Lightning in Game 7
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Alex Newhook broke a tie with 8:53 left and the Montreal Canadiens outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Game 7 on Sunday night to end the thrilling first-round series. The Canadiens will face the Buffalo Sabres in the second round after finishing off their first series victory since losing the Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay in 2021.
Game 1 is Wednesday night in Buffalo. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes made 28 saves and Nick Suzuki got his first goal of the series for Montreal. Each game of the series was decided by one goal and four went to overtime.
The score was tied or within one goal for all but six minutes in the seven games. The Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight season after falling two wins short of a Stanley Cup three-peat in 2022. Tampa Bay’s tough defense held the Canadiens without a shot for nearly 27 minutes from the first period into the third and just four through two periods.
Brandon Hagel made an outstanding, sliding stick save with an open net in the final minute but the Lightning couldn’t get the tying goal during a 6-on-5 and 6-on-4 for the final six seconds. Montreal got a couple lucky bounces to score twice on its first eight shots on goal and finished with only nine. After Lane Hutson fired a slap shot that went wide and bounced back out, Newhook skated backhanded the puck out of the air and in off Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pad and his backside.
AVALANCHE 9, WILD 6 DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar scored twice in the third period after returning from an earlier injury and Colorado overcame blowing a three-goal lead to beat Minnesota in a wacky Game 1 of their second-round playoff series. Makar, who left in the first period with an undisclosed ailment, scored his second goal of the game with 2:54 remaining to make it 8-6. Nathan MacKinnon added an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining to seal it.