Stunning last-minute decision by Martin St-Louis before Game 7 tonight: key veteran could play in Gallagher

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David St-Jean
May 18, 2026  (4:51 PM)

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Photo credit: Screenshot NHL

A Game 7 in Buffalo, and Martin St-Louis has a decision to make. Insider Eric Engels floated the idea Monday morning that Brendan Gallagher could draw back in.

Gallagher has sat as a healthy scratch every game of this second-round series. Six straight in the press box. Tonight could change that.

The clip from Engels dropped at 11:41 AM, just hours before puck drop. You could feel the pause it created in Montreal hockey circles.

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The context matters. Gallagher played Games 5, 6 and 7 against Tampa Bay in Round 1 and posted 1 goal and a +1 across those three appearances.

St-Louis turned to him then because the series demanded a different shift. He pulled the Habs through a 2-1 Game 7 win in Tampa on May 3.

Now the math looks similar. Montreal got buried 8-3 at home in Game 6 on Saturday. The bench needs heat, edge, and a body in the blue paint.

Gallagher carries a $6.5 million cap hit and a regular-season line of 7 goals and 16 assists across 77 games. The numbers do not tell the story.

What he gives Montreal is bench presence and net-front noise on a power play that has gone cold at the worst time. Two of his seven regular-season goals came on the man advantage.

The Habs are 24-9-8 on the road this season. That matters tonight, because every shift in Buffalo will feel heavier than the last.

If St-Louis goes back to the veteran, someone in the bottom six is coming out. No one in that room wants to be the name on that whiteboard.

And the Round 1 precedent is the loudest argument in the room. A coach who saw a series flip when he changed the lineup does not forget that lesson seven games later.

Does Gallagher still have one Game 7 shift left in his legs? Buffalo is about to find out, one way or the other.

The Habs went 48-24-10 in the regular season and ranked sixth overall. None of that travels into a 60-minute coin flip tonight.

A win sends Montreal to the Conference Final. A loss ends a run that already buried Tampa in seven and pushed Buffalo to the brink.

St-Louis has not tipped his hand publicly. The lineup card is the only answer that will matter when warmups start in Buffalo.

Previously

Henrik Sedin hints at major changes coming for the Canucks

Jakub Dobes turned down the Habs before Game 7 run

Canadiens get major Game 7 boost with key player cleared to play

POLL
MAI 18   |   581 ANSWERS Stunning last-minute decision by Martin St-Louis before Game 7 tonight: key veteran could play in Gallagher Should Martin St-Louis put Brendan Gallagher back in the lineup for Game 7 tonight in Buffalo?
Yes	401	69 %
No	180	31 %
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À LIRE

Il y a 44 minutes  |  Par William Nadeau Une autre source confirme des blessures importantes chez le Canadien après l'élimination

Il y a 11 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Confirmé : Carey Price a recommencé à jouer au hockey et il révèle lui-même les détails

Il y a 12 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Un attaquant bien connu a frôlé la mort et TVA Sports révèle les détails

Il y a 13 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Superbe ajout confirmé pour Kent Hughes et les Canadiens de Montréal : « C'est certain qu'ils ont un joyau »

Il y a 15 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Sanction imposée au Canadien de Montréal et qui aura des conséquences pour la suite : des bonis qui font mal

Il y a 16 heures  |  Par William Nadeau La grosse rumeur impliquant Patrick Roy vient d'être confirmée par Pierre LeBrun

Il y a 16 heures  |  Par William Nadeau La grosse rumeur impliquant Patrik Laine vient d'être confirmée par deux sources et les détails sont révélés

Il y a 17 heures  |  Par William Nadeau Renaud Lavoie confirme déjà une grosse rumeur impliquant Kent Hughes et un joueur de centre

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