Canadiens Fans Name Second-Round MVP
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Montreal Canadiens are heading to the Eastern Conference Final, and while there were several skaters worthy of praise in the second round, the fans have been rather clear as to the most valuable player. Canadiens Second-Round MVP The majority of Habs fans have named depth forward Alex Newhook as the team’s MVP versus the Buffalo Sabres, stemming from his impressive offensive contributions, which resulted in six goals in just seven games. Five of those goals came at 5v5, which was extremely important given that the first line had a very hard time finding the back of the net without the benefit of the powerplay.
In fact, both Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield managed just one point at 5v5, while captain Nick Suzuki finished the series with one goal and two assists. It would be easy to suggest players like Newhook, Kirby Dach, Zachary Bolduc, and Phillip Danault rose to the occasion while the first line collapsed, but that’s ignoring how much attention the first line attracted versus the Sabres. While Buffalo focused their energy on shutting down Montreal’s top trio, the rest of the lineup were given a great opportunity to increase their output.
Newhook also epitomized the wolf pack mentality that has becomes Montreal’s modus operandi. If every player focuses on the same task, they’re bound to find a chink in the armour, and few did it better than the St. John’s native.
Oh, and it’s worth noting he also managed to clinch back-to-back series on the road, a feat few others have accomplished. ALEX NEWHOOK!!!! The Montreal Canadiens are going to the Conference Final!!!!
#GoHabsGo pic. twitter. com/USlIPc5p3Z — Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 19, 2026 Sophomore Campaign Beyond Newhook, the most common name submitted by Canadiens fans was phenom Lane Hutson , who is currently leading the Canadiens in scoring with 14 points in 14 games (all situations), with eight of those points coming in the series versus Buffalo.
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