With a 3-2 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Montreal Canadiens have punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canadiens are set to play the Tampa Bay Lightning for Lord Stanley’s Mug starting June 28. This will be Montreal’s first finals appearance since 1993 when they last hoisted the Stanley Cup. The Habs will look to unseat the defending Stanley Cup Champions and once again prove their doubters wrong.
On perhaps the most historic run since the L.A. Kings beat the odds in 2012, the Canadiens have been underdogs since they sneaked into the playoffs. Down three games to one, Montreal did the unexpected and snatched the series win out of the hands of a highly-skilled Toronto Club. Toronto’s chance to advance to the 2nd round for the first time since 2004, was squandered as they once again slipped at the finish line. Facing elimination in three straight games, two of which were on the road, Montreal pulled off the upset with only the 30th comeback from a 3-1 or 3-0 deficit in NHL history.
After completing the comeback, Montreal would find themselves facing a well-rested Winnipeg Jets squad that swept the Edmonton Oilers. Despite a lack of rest, Montreal came out fast taking game one by a score of 5-3 on the road. Then two nights later, Price notched his first shutout of the postseason and gave his team a 2-0 series lead heading back to Montreal. The Jets went on to be swept rather unceremoniously. Montreal, the team that finished with only a 24-21-11 record, had emerged as the champions of the North Division in spite of predictions by NHL Analysts.
In the Conference Finals, Montreal knew they would have to face either Colorado or the Golden Knights, both of which were favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Surely, this would be the end of the line for the Cinderella story. Not quite the case. Vegas would be facing internal questions about whether to start Marc Andre Fleury or Robin Lehner. Head Coach Peter DeBour didn’t commit to either net-mender throughout the series. This caused internal issues that the Habs were able to capitalize on. Although Montreal lost games one and four, Price would steal games five and six to complete yet another series upset against one of the league’s best teams. All of which they accomplished without head coach Dominique Ducharme who was out most of the series due to Covid-19 Protocol. This setback didn’t stall the team in the slightest as they found a way to win for their coach.
With a series victory over Vegas, Montreal became the fourth team in NHL history to make the finals as an 8th Seed. They finished their regular season with eight more losses than wins. On top of that, they were the worst playoff team and wouldn’t have made the playoffs in any other division. Yet they emerged as champions of their conference nonetheless. We are witnessing history in the making. Next to the 2011-12 L.A. Kings, this is the greatest underdog story in the history of the NHL. If Montreal can once again do the impossible and beat the Lightning, they will surpass that Kings team from nearly a decade ago. Montreal’s trio of future Hall of Famer Carey Price, Cole Caufield (who started the playoffs as a healthy scratch), and Nick Suzuki may just return the organization to its former glory after years of despair. It won’t be an easy best-of-7 series, but the Canadiens have proven they can win. Carey Price is now just four wins away from the one award that has eluded him his entire career; the Stanley Cup. Look for him to leave it all on the ice against Tampa as he looks to cement his legacy in hockey history.
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