The Montreal Canadiens (7-6) will face the Buffalo Sabers (7-5) in Game 7 of their second-round series on Monday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
It's only fitting that the series requires all seven games, as the Habs and Sabers are evenly matched when we look at some statistics.
The Sabers have the advantage in shots and expected goals at 51.5% and 51.9%, however, the Canadiens have outshot them 14-11 at 5v5 and 10-6 on high-danger scoring opportunities.
This is the epitome of an exciting series, and it all comes down to the final game.
While rookie netminder Jacob Dobbs allowed six goals in Game 6, head coach Martin St-Louis isn't particularly concerned about his performance on Monday night. He is confident that Dobbs, a player who has shown a great ability to bounce back from tough games, will rise to the occasion.
#hubs Martin St. Louis: "I'm not worried about Dobbs"
- Priyantha Amrith (@HabsInHighHeels) 18 May 2026
It won't be solely up to Dobbs, even though he will play a key role in Game 7. Simply put, the Canadiens need a complete team effort, the type of outings that gave them impressive wins in Game 2 and Game 3.
Fortunately for Canadians, they perform at their best when they are faced with elevated levels of adversity, and they are also a tightly knit group despite their relative youth.
#hubs Caden Guhle says the players are a group of brothers and many of them have gone through the bad days of the rebuild together. Guhle says if you had told him he would be playing Game 7 of the second round in Buffalo in September, he would have known all about it.
- Priyantha Amrith (@HabsInHighHeels) 18 May 2026
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Coffield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkowski
Alex Newhook - Jake Evans - Ivan Demidov
Alexandre Texier - Philippe Danault - Josh Anderson
Zachary Bolduc - Kirby Dach - Joe Veleno
Mike Matheson - Alexandre Carrier
Lane Hutson - Noah Dobson
Arbor Zekaj - Caden Guhle
jacob dobbs
jacob fowler
Buffalo Sabers Projected Lineup
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker - Konsta Helenius - Jack Quinn
Zach Benson - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Jordan Greenway - Ryan McLeod - Beck Malensteen
Rasmus Dahlin - Mattias Samuelsson
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Luke Shannon - Connor Timmins
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Alex Lyon
How to watch Hubs Vs. sabers game 7
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres, Monday, May 18, 2026, will be broadcast on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.
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