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There aren’t many things better in American sports than a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and we have that tonight as the Montreal Canadiens carry the weight of a nation as they visit the Buffalo Sabres. It’s their first-ever Game 7 matchup, and the winner visits Carolina in Game 1 of the East Finals on Thursday. It’s a 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop Monday on ESPN. I’ll be watching.

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Canadiens vs. Sabres same-game parlay (-126)

  • Canadiens +1.5
  • Alt Over 4.5

I was on Montreal to finish things off in Game 6 at home on Saturday and feeling pretty darn good about that play with the Habs up 3-1 midway through the first on a short-handed goal by Jake Evans. If you score short-handed in a hockey game you should win it, much less in the playoffs. But everything changed when Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson took a double-minor penalty. Jason Zucker scored on the ensuing power play, one of seven straight goals scored by the visitors in a stunning display in the 8-3 victory.

Buffalo defenseman and former No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin had one of the great playoff games ever by a blueliner, with Dahlin scoring a goal and adding four assists. Those five points tied the franchise record for a playoff game, shared by Derek Roy in 2006 and John Tucker in 1988. Dahlin became the first defenseman in NHL history to record five points in a game when facing elimination and first skater overall to do it since Flyers forward Sean Couturier in Game 6 of Round 1 of an 8-5 loss to Pittsburgh.

Superstar forward Tage Thompson had not scored in three of the first five of the series but had a goal and three helpers. The Sabres scored eight goals in a game when facing elimination for the second time in franchise history and became only the fourth team in the past 30 years to score seven unanswered goals in a game when facing elimination.

Coach Lindy Ruff made another goaltending change, going back to Alex Lyon. He started after replacing an ineffective Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Game 5. But Lyon was pulled after allowing three goals on the only four shots he faced. Luukkonen stopped all 18 shots he faced to force the Game 7. I’d have to imagine UPL starts tonight after becoming only the sixth goalie in NHL history to win an elimination game after coming off the bench. He has been benched in both home starts this postseason.

It was Buffalo’s second multi-goal comeback win of these playoffs, tying a team record for a single postseason set in 1983 and 1980. The eight goals scored were the second-most in team history in the playoffs in an elimination game. The team total is only 2.5 tonight, but Game 7s are usually lower scoring. The Sabres are only 2-4 at home in these playoffs (5-1 away). 

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Montreal became the first team on record (since 2010 when real-time shot data started being officially tracked) to convert on each of its first three shots in a playoff game. And still lost at home?! It was the first home loss in franchise history in a potential series-clinching game when leading by multiple goals.

Arguably the Canadiens’ two best forwards in Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield barely showed up, combining for one assist and a minus-2 rating. Needless to say, a lot of chatter is on rookie goalie Jakub Dobes, who had been historically good in these playoffs but was steamrolled for six goals on 33 shots before being pulled for fellow rookie Jacob Fowler. It marked the first time since 1990 that both starting goalies were pulled in a potential series-clinching game. Dobes surely will start tonight, though. He is 5-0 after a loss in these playoffs. 

This will be the 203rd Game 7 in Stanley Cup playoff history and second in 2026; the first was Montreal winning Game 7 in Round 1 in Tampa despite having only nine shots on goal. It’s the 19th consecutive year with multiple Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Home teams are 118-84 (.584) in Game 7s, but obviously 0-1 this year. The team that scores first is 152-50 (.752) and 1-0 in these playoffs.

A total of 105 Game 7s (52.0%) have been decided by a one-goal margin, including that Habs-Lightning matchup. Meanwhile, 50 Games 7s (24.8%) have required overtime and home teams are 27-23 in those (.540). Fourteen have required multiple OTs. Buffalo is 1-6 in all Game 7s and 1-1 at home. Montreal is 16-9, including 8-3 away. It has won three straight and seven of its past eight Game 7s. This marks the 130th unique Game 7 matchup in playoff history. 

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I simply want overtime here, folks, and obviously if it gets there we are cashing Habs +1.5. I rather doubt if it does get to OT that it’s 1-1, but it might be 2-2 and we’d then win the total, too. Yeah, if the Canadiens are down 3-2 with about five minutes left, they will yank the goalie and an empty-netter might bite us. Those are the risks. Alt Under 7.5 was too pricy. Check out other expert picks in the SportsLine daily newsletter.