The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are going to settle their second-round series with a winner-take-all Game 7 for the right to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final on Monday,
For Montreal, this is the second straight series they are in a win-or-go-home situation after narrowly defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7 in order to reach their series with the Sabres.
The Canadiens have a long history of winning in the playoffs, and the franchise’s experience in Game 7s are no different. Montreal is 16-9 all time in the deciding match and are 7-1 since 2004.
“The thing we have to bring in Game 7 is our A game and we didn’t have it [in Game 6],” Canadiens forward Philip Danault told reporters on Sunday. “That’s probably the only thing I would say. Otherwise it’s pretty 50/50. It’s a good series. It could go either way. So if we bring our A game we believe in our chances. But if we play like last game it will be difficult.”
Montreal had an opportunity to end the series at home at the Bell Centre in Game 6, but ended up falling 8-3 in a rout to the Sabres. They led that game 3-1 before surrendering seven unanswered goals.
Now head coach Martin St. Louis is looking for his team to “bounce forward” in order to rebound and claim the series in Game 7.
“You have to learn why you had a bad game,” said St. Louis. “You have to be strong mentally. This situation is magnified in terms of bouncing forward. The obstacles in life come at different times, and for us right now it just came in the last 24 hours. We have to find a way to bounce forward.”
The current edition of the Canadiens received a crash course experience in Game 7 when they defeated the Lightning. Nine players made their Game 7 debut against the Lightning, including starting netminder Jakub Dobes, who became only the fifth Canadiens rookie to win a Game 7, joining Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden, and Jacques Plante.
Dobes can also become the fourth Canadiens goaltender to win multiple Game 7s in a single postseason, joining Dryden, Price, Roy, and Jaroslav Halak.
Conversely, the Sabres, who are in their first playoff appearance since 2011, only have eight players who have played in a Game 7.
Tanner Pearson (4), Ryan McLeod (3), and Alex Tuch (3), have the most experience playing in the Game 7 environment and only Pearson and Tuch have scored goals in this situation.
Head coach Lindy Ruff is 1-4 in Game 7s while the Sabres franchise is 1-6. The Sabres played their last Game 7 in 2011, where they lost 5-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Sabres forward Tage Thompson on Saturday, who will be playing in the first Game 7 of his career. “It’s a new experience for a lot of guys in this room, and something you dream of growing up and we knew going into this series it was going to be a long one. They’re a good team, and I think it’s just something that gets you excited.
“It’s another game that we get to embrace. I think if you would have asked every guy in here in September if they would have taken being in Game 7 in round two, we all would have signed up for that. So we’re in a great spot. Like I said, now it’s just one game. That’s all that matters.”
