Sabres-Canadiens Game 7: Key players, final score picks

It all comes down to at least one recreation for the Buffalo Sabers and Montreal Canadiens. They have three wins a bit, together with a pair of dominant street wins for every workforce in Games 5 and 6.

Which workforce will transfer on to face the Carolina Hurricanes within the Eastern Conference finals? Who will get a head begin within the offseason?

Our panel of hockey reporters and analysts is right here to interrupt down the important thing gamers to look at in Monday’s Game 7 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), in addition to make a prediction on the final score.

Who is the one key participant you will be watching in Game 7?

Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The Sabres’ Game 6 victory is one other instance of why many groups want two goalies to get by the playoffs.

Despite struggling in Game 5, Luukkonen shut out the Canadiens on Saturday after he changed Alex Lyon and was probably the most constant gamers on both workforce in Game 6. The Sabers want Luukkonen to copy his Game 6 effort to present them the strongest likelihood of successful Game 7.

Emily Kaplan, NHL reporter: Rasmus Dahlin. He and Tage Thompson typically say to one another, “dogs need to be dogs.” When the Sabers confronted their largest second of adversity but, each leaders got here by with an enormous Game 6 efficiency. But it is Dahlin, the workforce captain, who appears most emblematic of the workforce’s journey.

In a yr when Dahlin confronted vital private hardship (his fiancée was recovering from a life-saving coronary heart transplant) the defenseman discovered methods to raise his recreation, changing into a first-time Norris Trophy finalist. Keeping feelings in verify has been an enormous theme for the Sabers this sequence. Dahlin has taken one penalty in each recreation in opposition to Montreal. He wants to remain out of the field, particularly due to how vital he’s in tilting the ice for Buffalo.

Kristen Shilton, NHL reporter: Alex Tuch. The final time Tuch went six video games and not using a level was 2020, when he performed for the Vegas Golden Knights. Tuch has picked the worst time for the longest pointless streak of his Buffalo Sabers profession. The workforce’s top-line winger hasn’t notched a degree this sequence, and he has registered a minus-rating in 5 of the six video games to this point.

Tuch has 17 pictures on internet in opposition to Montreal, however none acquired previous Jakub Dobes (or Jacob Fowler). That should change in Game 7. Tuch’s traditional linemate, Tage Thompsongot here by with 4 factors in Buffalo’s large 8-3 victory Saturday to sign that he may be able to resume his position because the Sabres’ elite offensive risk. It’s about time Tuch reveals he could be that, too.

Greg Wyshynski, NHL reporter: Ace Nick Suzuki goes, so go the Canadiens. In the workforce’s six losses this postseason, Suzuki has one objective and two assists. That one objective got here in Game 1 in Buffalo, and Suzuki did not have a degree in Games 4 or 6. In Montreal’s seven victories this postseason, Suzuki has 9 factors (two targets, seven assists). Two of these helpers got here within the Canadiens’ Game 7 win in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightningtogether with an help on Juraj Slafkovsky‘s sequence winner.

Suzuki referred to as Game 6 “probably the worst game we’ve played” and stated his workforce wanted to look within the mirror earlier than Game 7. Buffalo’s star gamers might have most likely stated the identical after their Game 5 loss at dwelling. They responded with a monster effort to keep away from elimination. Suzuki should do the identical.

The final score can be _____.

Clark: 5-4 Canadiens in OT. One workforce has scored at the least three targets in every recreation of this sequence. It is sensible that the sequence finale is one other high-scoring however shut recreation.

Kaplan: 5-3 Sabres. Every time the Sabers have been challenged this season, they’ve discovered a means by.

Shilton: 6-4 Sabers. This sequence has been dominated by the street workforce; the Sabers have not been nice at dwelling all through the playoffs and their goaltending is infuriatingly inconsistent. Logically, that implies Montreal ought to win.

But the Sabers dragged themselves again from the brink in December. Maybe that is their time for an encore.

Wyshynski: 6-3 Sabers. One of my favourite Stanley Cup playoff traditions is when a workforce is demonstrably higher on the street however wants a essential dwelling win, and what that membership does to compensate for that. Sabers coach Lindy Ruff jokingly stated he’d petition the league to maneuver Game 7 to Bell Centre. Maybe there can be sufficient Montreal followers in Buffalo to trick the Sabres’ minds.

The Sabers want three issues to win Game 7: yet another sturdy effort from Luukkonen, to outscore Montreal on particular groups and to play with the offensive fluidity they’d in Game 6. (One newly fashioned line to look at: Tage Thompson with Josh Norris and Zach Bensona gaggle that had a 7-1 benefit in scoring possibilities in Montreal.)

I believe the Sabers get all of that in Game 7 and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the primary time since they had been sporting the Buffaslug brand (2007).