Sabres Host Canadiens in Game 7: Can Buffalo Finally End the Curse?

The Buffalo Sabres scored seven straight goals. Seven. After falling behind 3-1 in the first period at the Bell Centre, they put eight pucks past Montreal's goaltender and are now 60 minutes away from the Eastern Conference Final. That's the good news.

The bad news: whoever wins Monday night at KeyBank Center walks straight into a buzzsaw named Carolina.

Seven unanswered, but Carolina waits

Here's what makes Game 7 in Buffalo so terrifying for Sabres fans.

Buffalo is 1-6 all-time in Game 7s. One win in almost 30 years. They lost to Carolina in the 2006 East Final in a Game 7 they led 2-0. They lost to Philadelphia in 2011 after holding a 3-2 series lead. The only win came in 1997 against Ottawa, Derek Plante bouncing one in off a defenseman's skate in overtime. That was nearly three decades ago. This franchise has found new ways to break hearts in Game 7 for 28 years.

The urgency isn't just about ending a curse.

It's about what happens if they don't. Carolina is 8-0 in these playoffs. Eight wins, zero losses, first two rounds completed with a sweep. They are the first team in NHL history to sweep their first two best-of-seven series since the format was adopted in 1987. Frederik Andersen is stopping pucks at a rate that looks illegal, a 1.12 GAA and a .950 save percentage across eight games. The Hurricanes are waiting, rested, rolling, and they don't care who comes out of this game. But you better believe Buffalo fans want this one bad.

Dobes versus Buffalo's goalie question

This is where it gets interesting. Jakub Dobes won a Game 7 on the road already this postseason. He made 28 saves against Tampa Bay in a 2-1 clincher. The kid doesn't look like a rookie in net. He looks like someone who has done this before.

Buffalo's situation is the opposite. Neither Alex Lyon nor Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has ever started a Game 7. Not in the NHL, not anywhere. Lindy Ruff has to pick a goalie who has zero experience in a winner-take-all game, then send them out in front of a Buffalo crowd that has watched their team lose six straight Game 7s. That's a brutal hand to be dealt. Ruff is 1-4 in Game 7s as a head coach. Martin St. Louis is 1-0.

The coaching edge goes to Montreal, and it's not close.

Oh, and one more thing: Montreal went 3-0 against Carolina in the regular season, outscoring the Hurricanes 15-8. If the Sabres somehow pull this off, they get Carolina. The team that beat them in the regular season. The team that is 8-0 and historically dominant right now.

The path to the Cup runs through Raleigh either way, but Buffalo has to believe this is their moment.

What to watch Monday night

Watch the first 10 minutes.

Buffalo has to come out clean. They can't spot Montreal a lead, not against a team that has won six of seven road Game 7s. The Sabres were down 3-1 early in Game 6 and climbed back, but you can't plan on that. The Bell Centre crowd was going bonkers, and KeyBank Center will match it. Who handles the noise first?

Watch the goalie choice. Lyon has more experience. Luukkonen has better numbers this postseason. Ruff has to decide what matters more. Experience in the net, or the hot hand.

It's a coin flip, and both sides have a case.

Watch the power play.

Buffalo went 4-for-6 in Game 6. Montreal was 1-for-3. If the Sabres get chances with the man advantage, they have to convert. That's not optional. That's the whole game right there.

Monday night, 7:30 ET, ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS. Buffalo's last best chance to end a 28-year Game 7 drought and hand Montreal its first Game 7 loss on the road since 2010. The Curse of 1997 is still alive. Tonight, the Sabres try to kill it.

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