NHL Games on TV Today – Monday, May 18, 2026 (ET)
One game tonight, and it decides a season. The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres meet in a winner-take-all Game 7 at KeyBank Center, with a place in the Eastern Conference Final against Carolina waiting for whoever survives.
Coverage is on ESPN in the United States, with Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports carrying it in Canada.
Monday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Series Status | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30 PM | Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres (Game 7) | Series tied 3-3 | ESPN |
🏒 Game of the Day: Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres (Game 7)
7:30 PM ET | ESPN (US) · Sportsnet / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada)
Buffalo arrives here after one of the great escapes of the postseason. Facing elimination at the Bell Centre on Saturday, the Sabres fell behind 3-1 in the first period, lost their starting goaltender, and then scored seven unanswered goals in an 8-3 rout.
Rasmus Dahlin was extraordinary, posting a goal and four assists for a franchise playoff record five points. Tage Thompson added a goal and three assists, and Jack Quinn scored twice on the power play – part of a four-goal night for a Buffalo man advantage that had been a liability for most of the spring. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves in relief after Alex Lyon was pulled having stopped one of four shots, and Konsta Helenius and Zach Metsa also scored.
Montreal, for its part, was disconnected all night. Jakub Dobes allowed six goals on 33 shots before giving way to Jacob Fowler, and Lane Hutson was candid afterward about the Canadiens giving Buffalo far too much time with the puck. Arber Xhekaj, Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans had the Montreal goals.
Two things favor the visitors. Montreal has not lost consecutive games since mid-March, and Dobes has been perfect this postseason in games following a defeat. The Canadiens have also already won a Game 7 on the road this spring, beating Tampa Bay in the first round with just nine shots on goal.
Buffalo has history working against it – the Sabres have won only one of their previous seven Game 7s – but they have home ice, a captain playing the best hockey of his career, and a first Eastern Conference Final since 2007 within touching distance. These clubs last met in the playoffs in 1998, when Buffalo swept the series; Montreal’s last postseason win over the Sabres came in 1993, the year of its most recent Stanley Cup.
Prediction: A tense, low-event Game 7 that Montreal edges by a single goal.
What’s Next
The winner heads to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept both of their series and have not played since May 9. Carolina enters the Eastern Conference Final unbeaten at 8-0 in these playoffs and with nearly two weeks of rest.
The Western Conference Final begins Wednesday, May 20, when the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Colorado Avalanche for Game 1 at Ball Arena.
Two teams, one game, and a conference final berth on the line. Buffalo has already produced the comeback of the round; Montreal has already won a Game 7 on the road. Something has to give.
