Habs Oust Sabres in Game Seven OT

Alex Newhook (Boston College) scored just over 11 minutes into overtime for his second straight game-winning goal in a Game Seven this spring, and the Montreal Canadiens ousted the host Buffalo Sabres, 3-2, on Monday in the deciding contest of their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff matchup. Montreal wins the Eastern Conference semifinal series, four games to three, including victories in the last two games played in Buffalo. 

Newhook, who won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022, finished this series with six goals in seven games after also notching the game-winner in Game Seven of the first round at Tampa Bay. Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped 37 shots last night for the Canadiens, who advance to the conference finals for the first time in five years. Jordan Greenway (Boston University) scored the first goal of the night for the Sabres, who were competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Montreal will now face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final starting on Thursday.

Canadiens Take 3-2 Series Lead over Sabres

Lane Hutson (Boston University) set up two goals, and Cole Caufield scored for the third straight game, as the Montreal Canadiens moved within one win of the Eastern Conference final with a 6-3 victory over the host Buffalo Sabres last night. Montreal, which trailed, 3-2, after 20 minutes of play, now leads the best-of-seven 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff series, three games to two.

Josh Doan (Arizona State) scored Buffalo's second goal, assisted by Owen Power (Michigan), as the Sabres outshot Montreal, 36-26, on the evening. Alex Newhook (Boston College) drew an assist on the game-winning goal for the Canadiens, giving him six points so far in five games. Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) made 33 saves in net for Montreal, which can wrap matters up Saturday night at home in Game Six. The series winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.

In the Western Conference last night, the visiting Vegas Golden Knights routed the Anaheim Ducks, 5-1, to wrap up that quarterfinal series in five games. The Golden Knights will now face the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final.

Sabres Tie Up Series with Canadiens

Tage Thompson (UConn) tied the game on a fluke goal in the second period, and then assisted on the game-winner early in the third stanza, to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the host Montreal Canadiens last night in Game Four of their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. The second-round 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff matchup is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five set for Thursday night in Buffalo.

Josh Doan (Arizona State) finished with two assists for the Sabres, who went 2-for-4 on the power play, including Thompson's blueline goal that banked off the left wing boards and into the Canadiens net. Alex Newhook (Boston College) scored his fifth goal in the last three games for Montreal, which also got a power-play goal from Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and 19 saves in net from Jakub Dobes (Ohio State).

Canadiens Take Lead over Sabres, Ducks Tie Vegas

Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) tallied three assists as the Anaheim Ducks tied their Stanley Cup Playoff series with a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night. The best-of-seven Western Conference matchup is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five set for Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Alex Killorn (Harvard) notched a goal and an assist for the Ducks, while Jack Eichel (Boston University) set up two goals for the Golden Knights.

In the Eastern Conference, the host Montreal Canadiens took a two game to one lead with a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game Three of their series on Sunday. Alex Newhook (Boston College) notched his second two-goal game of the series for the Canadiens, who also got two points apiece from Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Lane Hutson (Boston University), plus 26 saves in net from Jakub Dobes (Ohio State). Tage Thompson (UConn) scored a goal and added an assist for the Sabres, who got 32 stops from Alex Lyon (Yale). Game Four is Tuesday in Montreal.

 

Canadiens Knot Series with Sabres

Alex Newhook (Boston College) scored two goals, and Mike Matheson (Boston College) notched the game-winner as the visiting Montreal Canadiens evened their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff second-round series with the Buffalo Sabres last night. The best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference matchup is now tied up at one game apiece, with Game Three set for Montreal on Sunday night.

Lane Hutson (Boston University) assisted on Newhook's first goal, while Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) finished with 29 saves in net for the Canadiens. Josh Doan (Arizona State) assisted on Buffalo's lone goal late in the second period, long after Montreal had built a 3-0 lead. Alex Tuch (Boston College) of the Sabres led all skaters with seven shots on goal. Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.

 

Canadiens Oust Lightning in Seven Games

The Montreal Canadiens have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2021. A third-period goal by Alex Newhook (Boston College) stood up as the game-winner as the Habs edged the host Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, on Sunday in the seventh and deciding game of their first-round NHL Eastern Conference series. 

Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) made 28 saves in net for Montreal, which was outshot, 29-9, overall. The Canadiens will now face the Buffalo Sabres in the best-of-seven second round, starting Wednesday in upstate New York.

NCAA Alumni Boost Habs to Playoff Win

The Montreal Canadiens clawed their way back into their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series tonight, thanks to contributions from several former NCAA skaters.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Alex Newhook (Boston College) each tallied a goal and an assist, and rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped seven of eight shots in 20 minutes of relief to pick up the win in Montreal's 6-3 victory tonight over the visiting Washington Capitals. The Canadiens now trail the best-of-seven NHL postseason series, two games to one. 

Jake Evans (Notre Dame), Lane Hutson (Boston University) and Mike Matheson (Boston College) also recorded assists, as the Habs won their first postseason contest since the 2020 Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay. Game Four against Washington is slated for Sunday at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

ADDENDUM: New Jersey also rebounded in its series against visiting Carolina, winning 3-2 in overtime on Friday to close within two games to one as defenseman Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) recorded 36-plus minutes of ice time for the victors. Edmonton did likewise in Game Three of its series Friday with visiting Los Angeles, winning by a 7-4 count as Zach Hyman (Michigan) notched two assists to help make it a two to one series. 

Former NCAA Players Changing NHL Places (2023)

Former NCAA players have been changing places lately in the National Hockey League, since the start of June. Listed below are those players, in alphabetical order by last name, along with their school, former NHL club, and new NHL club, per sportsnet.ca:

• Shane Bowers (Boston University) - Boston to New Jersey 

• Ross Colton (Vermont) - Tampa Bay to Colorado

• J.T. Compher (Michigan) - Colorado to Detroit 

• Kevin Hayes (Boston College) - Philadelphia to St. Louis

• Alex Iafallo (Minnesota-Duluth) - Los Angeles to Winnipeg

• Steven Kampfer (Michigan) - Detroit to Arizona

• Alex Newhook (Boston College) - Montreal to Colorado

• Cal Petersen (Notre Dame) - Los Angeles to Philadelphia

• Jonathan Quick (UMass) - Vegas to New York Rangers 

• Reilly Walsh (Harvard) - New Jersey to Boston 

• Sean Walker (Bowling Green) - Los Angeles to Philadelphia

NOTE: List may not be all inclusive.

Players in bold won the Stanley Cup while with their last NHL club. 

Makar, Avs Rout Lightning in Game Two

Cale Makar (UMass) made up for not having a point or a shot on goal in the opener of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. by scoring two goals in Colorado's 7-0 rout of two-time defending champion Tampa Bay tonight in Denver. The Avalanche now lead the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

Makar tallied both shorthanded and power-play goals in the third period, after the host Avalanche raced out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes on the visiting Lightning, an advantage which ballooned to 5-0 after two periods of play. Alex Newhook (Boston College) and Andrew Cogliano (Michigan) each had two assists on the evening for Colorado, which is now 14-2 in the playoffs so far this spring.

The Avs had won the series opener, 4-3, on Wednesday at Ball Arena, on an overtime goal that was assisted by J.T. Compher (Michigan). Game Three is slated for Monday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa (8 p.m. ET, ABC, CBC).

Former NCAA Skaters Scoring NHL Playoff Game-Winning Goals

It's been a week for game-winning goals from former NCAA players in the NHL's 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It started on Wednesday when Craig Smith (Wisconsin) stole a loose puck from behind the Washington net just under six minutes into overtime and tucked in a wraparound to lift the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win in Game Three of that opening-round divisional series.

On Thursday, Ryan Lomberg connected just under six minutes into sudden death to complete the Florida Panthers comeback in a 6-5 victory over in-state rival Tampa Bay to get the Panthers back into that series after they dropped the first two contests. 

It continued on Friday when Peter Stastny (Denver) scored the only goal of the game just over four minutes into OT, wristing in a screened shot to boost the Winnipeg Jets to a two games-to-none lead over Edmonton.

Finally, Alex Newhook (Boston College) fired home the game-winner from the right circle last night as the Colorado Avalanche beat St. Louis, 5-1, to take a three games-to-none lead in that series.

ADDENDUM: After replacing a broken stick, Luke Kunin (Wisconsin) raced up ice and one-timed home a pass late in the second overtime on Sunday to give the Nashville Predators a 4-3 victory over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. The win tied that series at two games apiece.

2021 NCAA Exodus to NHL Has Begun

 

The annual pre-Frozen Four exodus of NCAA players with college eligibility remaining to the pro hockey ranks is underway. Below are some of the players who have signed with NHL clubs since the regionals ended on Sunday:

Player                Yr. Pos. School (NHL Club)      

Cole Caufield         So. F    Wisconsin (Montreal)

Mike Hardman       So. F    Boston College (Chicago)

Matthew Boldy       So. F    Boston College (Minnesota)

Layton Ahac           So. D    Ohio State (Vegas)

Spencer Knight       So. G    Boston College (Florida)

Alex Newhook          So. F    Boston College (Colorado)

Jacob Bernard-Docker  Jr. D    North Dakota (Ottawa)

Cam York       So. D    Michigan (Philadelphia) 

Adam Scheel       Jr. G    North Dakota (Dallas)

Shane Pinto       So. F    North Dakota (Ottawa)

More to come, obviously ...

U.S. To Play Canada for 2021 WJC Gold

Arthur Kaliyev broke a 3-3 tie with just 76 seconds remaining in regulation, and the U.S. National Junior Team held on the rest of the way for a 4-3 victory over Finland in a semifinal game tonight at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, Alberta.

Alex Turcotte (Wisconsin), assisted by Kaliyev, staked Team USA to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, before Finland responded just over a minute later to tie the score. The Americans then got second-period goals from John Farinacci (Harvard) and Matthew Boldy (Boston College) in the second stanza to take a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. Finland then knotted matters once more, on two goals less than five minutes apart in the final frame, which set the stage for Kaliyev's late heroics.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) made 33 saves for the Americans, who will now face WJC host and defending champion Canada on Tuesday night (9:30 p.m. ET, NHL Network) in the gold medal game. Canada advanced to this year's championship contest with a 5-0 win over Russia on Monday, with Alex Newhook (Boston College) notching the game-winning goal for the Canadians. Russia and Finland will also meet tomorrow, in the bronze medal match.

BC's Newhook Rookie of the Year

Alex Newhook (Boston College) has earned the 2019-20 Tim Taylor Rookie of the Year Award as the top newcomer in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

Newhook, 19, a 5-foot-10 native of St. John's Newfoundland, tied for BC's scoring lead with 19 goals and 42 points this season in 34 games. He helped the Eagles to a 24-8-2 overall record, a top five national ranking, and a first-place finish in Hockey East before the campaign was canceled last month by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Newhook's NHL rights are owned by the Colorado Avalanche, who drafted him 16th overall last summer.

Three BC Freshmen Chosen in 2019 NHL First Round

Three incoming Boston College Eagles were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft on Friday in Vancouver.

Matthew Boldy of Millis, Mass. was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild. Last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program out of Michigan, the 6-foot-2 left wing tallied 33 goals and 48 assists for 81 points in 64 games. He more than doubled his output from the 2017-18 campaign, when he finished with 12 goals and 35 points with the NTDP.

Spencer Knight went 13th overall to the Florida Panthers. The 6-foot-3 goaltender from Darien, Conn. compiled a 15-1-0 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and .903 save percentage against USHL clubs, and finished 17-3-1 in exhibition contests against NCAA and similar competition. He is expected to step into the Eagles' starting goaltender slot with the departure of three-year starter Joe Woll to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization earlier this year.

The 16th NHL choice on Friday went to the Colorado Avalanche, who used it on Alex Newhook from St. John's, Newfoundland. The 5-foot-10 center collected 38-64—102 points in 53 outings last season with Victoria (BCHL), and added five goals and 10 points in five appearances with Canada's U-18 squad.

NTDP all-time leading scorer Jack Hughes, one of seven players from that organization chosen on Friday, went first overall to the New Jersey Devils, but he is not expected to play college hockey like his older brother Quinn Hughes (Michigan) and father Jim Hughes (Providence). The top player with NCAA ties chosen in the first round this year was forward Alex Turcotte, also from the NTDP, who will play at Wisconsin starting this fall.

A full list of this year's NHL's draft selections can be found here. Rounds 2-7 will be televised starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday (NHL Network).