Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens are heading to the Eastern Conference Final, and while there were several skaters worthy of praise in the second round, the fans have been rather clear as to the most valuable player.
Canadiens Second-Round MVP
The majority of Habs fans have named depth forward Alex Newhook as the team’s MVP versus the Buffalo Sabres, stemming from his impressive offensive contributions, which resulted in six goals in just seven games.
Five of those goals came at 5v5, which was extremely important given that the first line had a very hard time finding the back of the net without the benefit of the powerplay.
In fact, both Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield managed just one point at 5v5, while captain Nick Suzuki finished the series with one goal and two assists. It would be easy to suggest players like Newhook, Kirby Dach, Zachary Bolduc, and Phillip Danault rose to the occasion while the first line collapsed, but that’s ignoring how much attention the first line attracted versus the Sabres.
While Buffalo focused their energy on shutting down Montreal’s top trio, the rest of the lineup were given a great opportunity to increase their output.
Newhook also epitomized the wolf pack mentality that has becomes Montreal’s modus operandi. If every player focuses on the same task, they’re bound to find a chink in the armour, and few did it better than the St. John’s native.
Oh, and it’s worth noting he also managed to clinch back-to-back series on the road, a feat few others have accomplished.
ALEX NEWHOOK!!!!
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 19, 2026
The Montreal Canadiens are going to the Conference Final!!!! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/USlIPc5p3Z
Sophomore Campaign
Beyond Newhook, the most common name submitted by Canadiens fans was phenom Lane Hutson, who is currently leading the Canadiens in scoring with 14 points in 14 games (all situations), with eight of those points coming in the series versus Buffalo.
With that in mind, I’d argue his production was a little less important than his impact on Montreal’s ability to quickly drive the offence up the ice.
To be fair to the Sabres, they're not the first people to be mesmerized by Lane Hutson.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 15, 2026
A great pass sets up a Josh Anderson goal. Tie game again. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/iUZm3KGZab
His speed in transition was essential, opening up passing and shooting lanes for his opponents with the greatest of ease.
At times, it becomes a little easy to undersell his excellent plays, as he pulls off high-end dekes and impressive net drives on a nightly basis, but the underlying numbers tell the tale in the series versus the Sabres.
Hutson was exceptional on all fronts, and clearly Montreal’s best defenceman over the course of the last two weeks.
Final series impact card for the Montréal Canadiens after beating the Sabres 4-3 pic.twitter.com/7upuENuSmj
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) May 19, 2026
Honourable Mentions
One of the players who only received a handful of votes, but probably deserved more, was veteran Jake Evans. He finished second in 5v5 scoring, with five points.
Now, that may not seem like a lot, but we must keep his fourth-line usage in mind.
Without players like Evans improving their overall output, the Canadiens would not have been able to qualify for the Eastern Conference Final just a few years removed from the beginning of the rebuild.
It should also be noted that when Evans was on the ice, the Habs had a 55% advantage in high-danger scoring chances. He played a stalwart brand of defence that helped slow the Sabres, limiting their scoring chances in the process.
A couple of big saves by Dobes, and then Evans does a great job with his defensive coverage. He may have saved a goal. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/mJyK72GFNc
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 13, 2026
Phillip Danault also found a new gear from an offensive standpoint, at least relatively speaking. He finished tied with Evans for second in team scoring at 5v5, and was an ace in the faceoff circle when the Canadiens needed it most.
Phillip Danault scores early to give the #GoHabsGo a 1-0 lead.
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) May 18, 2026
Great work by Josh Anderson on the forecheck. pic.twitter.com/J7YNSsGK5k
Finally, rookie netminder Jakub Dobes received a few votes, as did Anderson, Dach, Ivan Demidov, Kaiden Guhle, and Alexandre Carrier.
Essentially, Canadiens fans agreed that there were a bevy of players that were crucial in qualifying for the next round of NHL Playoff hockey, and that’s a fantastic sign going forward.
If the first line can find its rhythm, the Canadiens will be very difficult to stop.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are via Natural Stat Trick.
