Canadiens Advance to Eastern Conference Final
Montreal Canadiens Eastern Conference Final
The Montreal Canadiens have punched their ticket to the 2026 Eastern Conference Final following a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 on Monday night.
The win, clinched by an Alex Newhook goal in the extra frame at the KeyBank Center, concludes a hard-fought second-round series that saw the Canadiens overcome an 8-3 loss in Game 6 to secure their spot in the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
Montreal’s offense, which struggled to find momentum in their previous outing, struck early in the decisive game. Philip Danault opened the scoring in the first period, followed by a power-play goal from Zachary Bolduc to establish a 2-0 lead for the visitors.
While the Sabres managed to narrow the gap in the second period through a goal by Jordan Greenway and eventually equalized midway through the third, the Canadiens maintained their composure to force overtime. Newhook’s eventual winner ended the Sabres’ playoff run and set the stage for a highly anticipated showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens and the Carolina Hurricanes is scheduled to begin on Thursday, May 21, at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Hurricanes, who finished at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, enter the series riding an undefeated streak in the postseason.
Despite the Hurricanes’ regular-season success, Montreal holds a psychological advantage having swept the season series against Carolina, winning all three of their head-to-head meetings.
The series schedule is set as follows:
- Game 1: Thursday, May 21 at Carolina
- Game 2: Saturday, May 23 at Carolina
- Game 3: Monday, May 25 at Montreal
- Game 4: Wednesday, May 27 at Montreal
- Game 5: Friday, May 29 at Carolina (if necessary)
- Game 6: Sunday, May 31 at Montreal (if necessary)
- Game 7: Tuesday, June 2 at Carolina (if necessary)
Fans can catch all the action on TNT, HBO Max, truTV, SN, CBC, and TVAS as the two teams compete for a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
