Alex Newhook struck again for Martin St-Louis, as Montreal triumphed over Buffalo with a score of 3-2 in overtime to advance in the playoffs.
This ending was just right for this spring. The Canadiens took their second straight series right to the edge and managed to score when the pressure was highest.
Newhook scored at 11:22 of the second overtime, sneaking a shot under Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s glove after pulling the puck back and using a defender to block the view. He didn’t even act like that was the plan.
That is why Phillip Danault’s nickname for him suddenly fits so well. In the visitors’ area at KeyBank Center, he had already started referring to Newhook as “Mr. Game 7.”
Newhook definitely earned that title. He had already scored the winning goal in Game 7 against Tampa Bay, and now he did it again in the next round against Buffalo.
He became the fourth player in Canadiens history to score an overtime goal in a Game 7, joining Russ Courtnall, Claude Lemieux, and Yvon Lambert. He is also the second player in NHL history to score two game-winning goals in Game 7s during the same season, following Nathan Horton in 2011.
Danault, of course, had his own take on it. He has become like Newhook’s coffee waiter, getting him a large iced coffee without ice on mornings before road games and keeping it in the fridge until the game starts.
The hockey community has been buzzing after cameras caught Martin St-Louis in the locker room.
For Newhook to shine, Jakub Dobeš first had to do his part. He made 37 saves and kept Montreal in the game, even when St-Louis admitted it wasn’t the best performance from his team.
That rebound save was crucial. Dobeš had been taken out in Game 6 at home, but he returned and stopped enough shots for the Canadiens to win the series away from home.
He mentioned that he enjoyed playing the bad guy, getting energy from the fans while convincing himself that the puck wouldn’t go in. That attitude was clear the whole night.
Then, after they won, it was St-Louis’ special time. As players in white jerseys poured onto the ice, he looked up and later shared that he had been chatting with his mom during overtime to express his gratitude.
Even after the game, the cameras were still on, capturing Martin St-Louis’ entire talk in the locker room.
What he said to the team after the game has caught a lot of attention from Canadiens fans all over.
Here’s the video that everyone is discussing.
This win meant even more now. It wasn’t just a young team trying to get by. It was about a group of players, a goalie, and a coach all finding something meaningful during the toughest moment of the season.
Now Montreal is set to face Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final starting on Thursday. The Canadiens are still among the youngest teams left in the playoffs, still driven by excitement and confidence, and they now have a new hero, who has a coffee-inspired nickname, heading into the next round.
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