BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Sabres farthest playoff run in nearly two decades has come to an end with an overtime loss in game seven.
The Montreal Canadiens ended the Sabres’ season on Monday night at the KeyBank Center, denying the Sabres a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. News10NBC Sports’ Ian Mills described it as a hard-fought game with a shaky start.
"This is a giant step for us." Monday's loss for the #Sabres was heartbreaking, but there was a tinge of bittersweet in Lindy Ruff's postgame press conference. It was there for good reason. #Sabrehood pic.twitter.com/KxRftIxanT
— Ian Mills (@IanMillsTV) May 19, 2026After being down 2-0 in the first period, Sabres forward Jordan Greenway scored in the second period, and defender Jordan Greenway scored in the third period to force overtime. However, it was Candiens centre Alex Newhook who had the final say, scoring a goal at 11:22 into the overtime period.
LOUDER.Rasmus Dahlin, the captain, tears the roof off the KeyBank Center. We are tied. t.co/nyuo14gWsY
— Ian Mills (@IanMillsTV) May 19, 2026This season marked the Sabres’ first playoff appearance since 2011 and their farthest playoff run since 2007, when the team reached the conference finals and fell to the Ottawa Senators in five games. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff reflected on the season.
“This is a step for us, a giant step for all of the players to really get to feel what it’s really like to be proud being a Buffalo Sabre, to be proud of playing here. I took the job, and number one, I wanted these guys to like being a Buffalo Sabre,” he said.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Sabres beat the Boston Bruins in six games, winning four and losing two. The Sabres forced a game seven in the second round by beating the Canadiens on the road in game six. Ruff said Monday night’s loss doesn’t define the team’s season.
“I told the players I’m proud of them, the battle. We took them to game six in Montreal and then came here and gave ourselves every chance to win. This one game doesn’t define our season for us,” he said.
Summary of the second-round series
News10NBC Sports has been following the Sabres’ playoff journey. Here’s how the Sabres forced a game seven in the series:
Game one
Buffalo beat Montreal 4-2 during the first game of the series on May 7. Buffalo started strong, scoring two goals in the first period, but Montreal also scored late in the period.
Buffalo extended their lead three minutes into the second period with a goal, followed by another goal nine minutes into the period. Montreal had the final goal of the game late into the second period.
READ MORE: ‘Starting off hot’; Sabres players react to 4-2 win in game one of series against Montreal
Game two
During game two of the series, Buffalo dropped the game 5-1. Although the Sabres lost, fans still had a blast outside KeyBank Center. Some fans told News10NBC Sports Reporter Mat Mlodzinski they think this series will go down to the final game.
READ MORE: Sabres drop game two 5-1
Game three
The Sabres fall to the Canadiens once again 6-2 during game three. Tage Thompson found the back of the net less than a minute into the game to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.
But, the Canadiens followed that up with four-straight goals, a streak that began 15 minutes into the first with an Alex Newhook goal, making it 1-1, and that ended with a Juraj Slafkovsky power play finish 12 minutes into the second, to give Montreal a 4-1 lead.
READ MORE: Sabres drop game three in Montreal, trail 2-1 in second round series
Game four
The Sabres pulled it off Tuesday night, getting a 3-2 win over the Canadiens. It was a hot start for the Sabres, but it wasn’t without controversy, which shifted the momentum of the game. The refs awarded the Sabres a goal, putting them up by two.
Then Montreal challenged it, ultimately reversing the goal. It was a back and forth game from there, but the Sabres ended up on top.
Rookie Zach Benson capped another big playoff performance on his 21st birthday.
READ MORE: Benson breaks tie on birthday, Sabres beat Canadiens 3-2 in Game 4 to even series
Game five
The Sabres lost 6-3 in game five on Thursday night in Buffalo, putting the Canadiens up 3-2 in the series. New10NBC Sports’ Ian Mills described it as a rollercoaster game. There were five goals in just the first 10 minutes and 15 seconds of play, three from the Sabres and two from the Canadiens. However, the Sabres’ lead didn’t last.
In the second period, the Sabres struggled, surrendering three straight goals. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had just 18 saves on 23 shots. He was pulled after the period. The Sabres’ goal-tending issues came back again in the third period, when the Canadiens scored 3:32 into the period.
READ MORE: ‘The whole team has to be better’; Sabres players look to game six after 6-3 loss at home
Game six
The Sabres won 8-3 on Saturday in Montreal. Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves after starter Alex Lyon stopped only one of the four shots he faced.
Buffalo came back after trailing 3-1 midway through the first period. Jack Quinn scored twice and added an assist, Thompson had three assists and an empty-net goal, and Zach Benson and Jack Quinn each had a goal and an assist. Konsta Helenius and Zach Metsa also scored.
READ MORE: Sabres rally to beat the Canadiens 8-3 to force Game 7
‘A giant step’; Sabres coach reflects on playoff run after season ends in game seven loss WHEC.com.
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