3 Takeaways From the Sabres’ 3-2 Game 7 Loss to the Canadiens

It had been a long time since the Buffalo Sabres had been to the playoffs, let alone played in a Game 7. Yet on Monday night, they hosted the Montreal Canadiens in a do-or-die Game 7. The game delivered in every imaginable way, it just had the wrong ending.

After falling into an early hole, the Sabres took control of the game and tied it in the third period. And for the second series in a row, Montreal’s Alex Newhook played Game 7 Hero, sending Montreal on and the Sabres packing with a 3-2 finale.

The Captain Led the Way

Rasmus Dahlin has been the engine for the Buffalo Sabres. He makes them go. And once again, he was their most important player. Dahlin logged a game-high 33:11 of ice time and scored the third period goal that ultimately sent the game to overtime.

In what has been one of the most challenging seasons of his life, Dahlin may have had his best effort yet. He was a stud throughout the season and playoffs, carrying the team on his back at times. Game 7 was no different.

Dahlin did a little bit of everything and led the Sabres like no one else could. Sabres fans are blessed to be seeing a Hall of Fame performer play night in and night out in front of them. Major props to Dahlin for his efforts this season.

Goaltending Was the Difference

Both special teams units had their share of success in this series after being pegged as potential difference makers prior to the start of the series. What it has come down to in this series is goaltending and Montreal got the better end of that deal.

After getting shelled for eight goals in Game 6, Jakub Dobes was excellent for the Canadiens. He turned aside 37 of 39 Sabres shots, with more than a handful of scrums that left those watching wondering how the puck stayed out of the net.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was very good until he wasn’t – the tale of his series. The overtime winner by Newhook was realistically one he should have had, though it is possible that he was partially screened. In any event, the Canadiens got a little more out of their netminder and it wound up being the difference.

The Epitome of the Series

If anything, Game 7 wound up being the epitome of this series for the Sabres. Multiple times in multiple games, the Buffalo forecheck would hem the Canadiens into their own zone, producing chance after chance and garnering contributions from throughout the lineup.

And multiple times, those extended possessions led to no offense. Buffalo essentially controlled much of the final 50 minutes of the game but couldn’t find one more goal as Dobes stood up to challenge after challenge.

There isn’t much to be done about it, however. Sometimes, that’s just the breaks of playoff hockey. The hockey gods seem to favor one of the Original Six pillars for the time being, though they now face their toughest test.

Nothing to Hang Their Heads About

Though the initial response is pain and sadness, the hometown crowd knows it saw something special. This was a season no one saw coming, which seemed to gain more and more momentum as it went along. It is a special season in franchise history, and the future seems bright.

The front office has a few important decisions to make this offseason but the core of this team will be back. The hope is that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the Sabres have to offer.