One week ago today, the Montreal Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the hyped up Game Seven of Round One. Tonight, that same Habs team completed their sweep against the Winnipeg Jets and have advanced to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.
You can’t write this shit.
The game itself was just as dramatic as the last week has been for the Habs. The Canadiens, as they tend to do, got on the board quick with 2 goals in the first. Erik Gustafsson opened it up with a goal on the power play at 8:01. Then who else but Mr. Artturi Lehkonen to get the second at 19:09. Although Carey Price wasn’t very busy in the first, this was the busiest he was all game – facing a grand total of 7 shots in those 20 minutes.
That being said, it makes it a little rough to see that in the second period, Price faced 4 shots and 2 of those were goals. Both came from Logan Stanley, his first and second of his NHL Playoff career. The defenseman scored them at 1:40 and 5:29 in the second period. For the remainder of that frame, the Habs just couldn’t get anything in the net. The put up 13 shots but Connor Hellebuyck stopped them all. The same happened in the final 3rd frame. Montreal had 14 shots on net while the Jets put up a meager 5.
So, onto OT we go.
As a Habs fan, you’re sweatin’ a bit. Sure, you’re not the one with your season on the line but how sweet would it be to sweep the team that swept in the previous round. To sweep the sweepers. Just steal their brooms. Plus it would be so much better to end this series now, at home, and not get any of that “Maple Leafs 3-1 lead karma” falling back on you.
Thankfully, Tyler Toffoli was over this whole dramatic hockey game thing and he scored just 1:39 into OT.
And just like that, the Montreal Canadians have won Canada. How insane is that?!
The Habs went from head on the chopping block to Kings of Canada in about a week and a half. This was an absolutely thrilling series to watch but we’ll have to wait a bit before they play again. The US teams are all still tiding up their Second Rounds with no sweeps. They’re mainly waiting on Vegas and Colorado who are tied 2-2 with Game 5 tomorrow night. Although I have rooted for the Habs in this series, if they face the Avalanche, all bets are off. Go Avs Go. I want my boys winning the Cup. However, if something insane happens and they face Vegas then I hope they kick their asses. Get the brooms back out and sweep them too.
As the NHL playoffs always are, it’s all a waiting game. But for now, pop a bottle Montreal, this is the first time your Captain has made it this deep in the playoffs.
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