BOSTON — It took Nathan Horton six years to make the playoffs.

Once he got there, he showed the value of patience.

Horton scored his second overtime goal of the postseason on Wednesday night, waiting until 5:43 of the extra period in Game 7 to give Boston a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens and help the Bruins advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“Just getting to the playoffs is all I was really thinking about. This has been a dream come true,” said Horton, who never reached the postseason while spending the first six years of his career with Florida Panthers. “I’m really enjoying it. I’m enjoying it more every day.”

Boston will open conference semifinals in Philadelphia on Saturday with a chance to avenge last year’s epic collapse against the Flyers. The Bruins led that series 3-0 before Philadelphia came back to force a decisive game; in Game 7 in Boston, the Bruins led 3-0 before losing 4-3.

“I get at least until midnight before I’ve got to start thinking about that,” said Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, who stopped 34 shots.