The wild scene in Montreal after beating Tampa in Game 7 is going viral
Montreal didn't wait to find out who they play next. The streets exploded Sunday night after the Canadiens beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in Game 7 down in Florida.
Fireworks lit up downtown. Crowds spilled into the intersections.
Police suited up to manage what looked less like a celebration and more like a small-scale music festival in jerseys.
Barstool Sports captured the chaos with a tweet predicting Montreal would burn to the ground before the second round even started.
The clip went viral inside the hour.
That's what a Game 7 road win in this market does.
The Habs hadn't won a playoff series in 5 years before Sunday, and the city had been waiting for a reason to lose its mind.
The team itself is not in the city. They flew home to land Monday and start prepping for Buffalo. Round 2 opens Tuesday on the road.
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The Sabres are coming off a longer rest. They eliminated Boston in 6 games, finished their series before the Habs even forced Game 7, and have had time to scout, recover, and game plan.
Buffalo finished the regular season 50-23-9 for 109 points, fourth overall. Montreal hit 48-24-10 and 106 points, sixth overall.
Two teams separated by a thread, but the freshness gap is real.
That's the part Habs fans dancing in the street Sunday night need to remember by Monday morning.
Three games against Tampa went to overtime. Two more were one-goal results. The bodies are taxed.
Round 2 doesn't care about the parade outside the Bell Centre. It cares about who shows up Tuesday night with legs.
Here's the editorial line. Celebrating a Game 7 win in this city is a love language going back generations.
But the same energy that lights up Crescent Street is the same energy a hockey team needs to channel into a series-opening road game.
Lindy Ruff has watched Boston spend their playoffs unraveling. He's now coaching a rested team against a banged-up opponent that just took 7 games to escape Round 1.
Nick Suzuki finally has the chance to score his first goal of the spring after going 0-for-7 in Round 1.
The captain produced 5 assists, but the goose egg in the goal column has to flip.
Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and the kids drive the offense. The veterans manage the room.
Whichever group sets the tone Tuesday in Buffalo decides whether Sunday night's party was the peak or the prelude.
The streets in Montreal will sleep eventually. Buffalo's arena won't be quite as friendly when puck drop arrives.
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MAY 3, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Devon Toews | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Cale Makar | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Quinn Hughes | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sam Malinski | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Valeri Nichushkin | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Nick Blankenburg | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dominic James | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Johansson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladimir Tarasenko | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||