Deja vu? It certainly feels that way after Alex Newhook fired a rolling puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in Game 7 to defeat the Buffalo Sabres. It’s the second straight series where Newhook has played the role of the hero and scored the game-winner for the Montreal Canadiens. The pride of Newfoundland just continues to outdo himself in what has been an outstanding playoff run for the 25-year-old. He has now sent the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2014.
Alex Newhook Outstanding for Canadiens in Second Round Series
Newhook had an absolutely remarkable series against the Sabres. Newhook scored six goals and added an assist for seven points in seven games. He helped drive the offence for the Canadiens during this series and had that clutch factor once again to win another series for the Canadiens. However, no matter if Newhook is scoring or not, he’s becoming such an important player for the Canadiens, as he’s been that energy player that the Canadiens need. Newhook’s work ethic is second to none, and his relentlessness on the forecheck and speed coming through the neutral zone just caused issues for the Sabres all series long.
Jakub Dobes Continues to Shine
Jakub Dobes just continues to shine during this playoff run. And what’s more impressive, Dobes is still a rookie. The soon-to-be 25-year-old netminder carries himself like a veteran, and his ability to bounce back after a loss during the playoffs has been sensational. Even after getting thumped 8-3 in Game 6 at home, Dobes followed it up with an outstanding game in Game 7, allowing 2 goals and making 37 saves en route to victory. He now improves to 6-0 during the playoffs following a loss, with a 1.77 goals-against-average and a .957 save percentage. Dobes now has a 2.52 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s certainly making his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy if he can continue this high level of play and help the Canadiens advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Depth Scoring Crucial Part of the Canadiens Success
Another big story for the Canadiens is that their depth continues to play a major part in the team’s success. The Canadiens’ top line was rather quiet in terms of scoring goals during the series. The line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky produced just six goals for the Canadiens in the series, four of which came on the power play and another was an empty-netter. However, the team depth picked up the slack. As mentioned, Newhook scored six times for the Canadiens during this series, and the Canadiens had 14 players register a goal in this series. It’s crucial for teams to get scoring from the entire lineup during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Canadiens are certainly getting that. The fact that they’ve now reached the Eastern Conference Final while not getting the regular production from their star players spells bad news for the opposition. If Caufield, Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Ivan Demidov start to heat up, the Canadiens will be a nightmare to deal with.
On to Carolina
Next stop, Carolina. As mentioned, this will be the first time the Canadiens have reached the Eastern Conference Final since 2014. They did make the final four in 2021; however, due to the divisional realignment due to the pandemic, there wasn’t an Eastern Conference Final that year. Now they get to face off against the currently undefeated Carolina Hurricanes, who should be well rested. The Hurricanes had a relatively easy run so far, as, due to the playoff structure, they got to face what would have been the sixth and eighth seeds in terms of points so far. While the Canadiens faced the second and third seeds in the Eastern Conference.
The Canadiens found success against the Hurricanes in the regular season, winning all three matchups and outscoring them by a total of 15-8 in those three games. The Canadiens will hope that the regular-season success continues into the playoffs. This series will get underway on Thursday, May 21st, in Carolina.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
