Whole Team Effort Crucial for Montreal Canadiens Comeback

Everyone doubted them. When they won Game 1, the expectations had to be tempered, and we saw why, as the Montreal Canadiens went on to lose three straight games.

All seemed extremely bleak, the Montreal Canadiens had scored four goals in four games, and the only bright spot was in the crease. It looked to be a repeat of countless series in the past, Carey Price standing on his head, giving his team every opportunity to win, while the offence dried up.

Many had labelled the series signed, sealed, and delivered. A comeback in this series seemed completely outrageous to suggest, especially since the majority of hockey pundits had the Montreal Canadiens being eliminated way before any Game 7 in the series could be thought of. However, something changed within the team.

Game 5 began, and the Canadiens played a hard and heavy game, hitting everything, and laying on copious amounts of pressure. This would result in the Canadiens getting back into this series, and the thought of a comeback began to become somewhat of a reality. The Canadiens needed to play as a team, and score by committee, and they did just that as they began to receive goals from everyone throughout their lineup.

The line of Eric Staal, Corey Perry, and Joel Armia came out with fury in Game 5 and resulted in two massive goals, while Jesperi Kotkaniemi got back on the score sheet. The game ended in a dramatic fashion with Nick Suzuki scoring the overtime winner.

Next came the electric Game 6 that was played in front of fans for the first time all year in Canada. Veteran Corey Perry potted a greasy goal, while regular-season leading scorer Tyler Toffoli also potted a big goal as the Canadiens finally got their anemic powerplay to click. This game was of course capped off by the massive overtime winner by the ever-smiling Jesperi Kotkaniemi, as the young Finn continued to make his mark in the series after being scratched for Game 1.

After an improbable run to get to Game 7, the comeback was on, and it came on the back of the Montreal Canadiens relying heavily on their physical defensive pressure, and stellar goaltending from #31. Once again, big points were put up by Montreal’s acquisitions in the previous year. Eric Staal made two great passes off of veteran plays to set up the Gallagher and Toffoli goals, while Corey Perry continues to be clutch in the playoffs with another powerplay goal.

Many people, myself included, have been highly critical of the offseason and in-season moves made by General Manager Marc Bergevin, but each one of them was crucial to the Montreal Canadiens pulling off a massive upset on top of an incredible comeback over the division-winning Toronto Maple Leafs.

Josh Anderson played a heavy and physical series, using his speed and strength to be dangerous all series long While Tyler Toffoli took a bit of time to get involved, he was opportunistic and scored big goals when they mattered. As mentioned, Corey Perry continued to use his veteran savvy and slick mitts to be involved in a number of goals and potting a couple himself.

There were a number of critics of Eric Staal and his slow and uninspired play in the regular season. However, in the last three games, Staal played a great defensive game, while also making a number of great plays to set up beautiful passes on a handful of goals that were very important for the Habs.

Not to be lost in this all is Cole Caufield, the diminutive forward who made his playoff debut in Game 3 may not have lit the lamp, but he had plenty of opportunities and he looked dangerous every time he had the puck on his stick. Caufield’s puck possession looked more and more dangerous as each game went on, and he was crucial in the Game 5 overtime winner as the Leafs’ goaltender Jack Campbell had to respect Caufield’s lethal shot.

On the back end, Joel Edmundson continued his steady and physical play, doing his part in shutting down the Leafs’ top scorers, and trade deadline acquisitions Jon Merrill and Erik Gustafsson did exactly what they were brought in for. Merrill provided steady defensive play, while Gustafsson provided a mobile passing option on the powerplay that finally became an advantage for the Canadiens.

But not lost are the contributions of long-time Habs players who were all crucial to the team’s success. Shea Weber and the entire defence core played an outstanding series, not generating much offence, but integral in shutting down any sustained Leafs’ offence as the team fought hard to make the comeback.

Notable players up front were Phillip Danault, Paul Byron, Joel Armia, and Brendan Gallagher. They all played each shift hard at both ends of the ice and forced a number of turnovers that proved to be key to their victories. This is huge as this reinforces how important Phillip Danault is to this team as he heads into a contract negotiation. We all saw how his incredible play stymied the Leafs’ top line.

Players like Paul Byron and Jake Evans reinforced to the Canadiens’ coaching staff that they deserve a place in the lineup. Finally, the future of the Montreal Canadiens shined when they were called upon, with Jesperi Kotkaniemi demonstrating that “this kid is built for the playoffs” as Sportsnet’s Kevin Bieksa articulated, with the young forward using his large frame and winning crucial puck battles, in addition to putting up three goals in the series.

Cole Caufield continued building his confidence and chemistry as he seemed to get better every game. Meanwhile, Nick Suzuki continued to be a dominant two-way player that has the high-end talent to make a difference when needed.

And what more can be said about Carey Price? When the games matter most, the Canadiens’ winningest goalie comes to play, and he gives it his all.

This team played as a whole team, and that is what resulted in the Canadiens being as dangerous as many of us knew they could be. They needed to be able to use all four lines and everyone on the team had to play their hearts out if they wanted to make it to the month of June.

From the crease out, the commitment led to a blue-collar play style creating chances, and the team did something they haven’t done in quite some time, they capitalized.

All year long, the team struggled to strike on the opportunities before them, and they allowed their inconsistency to dominate much of the year. I was fully prepared to write an article about how the Canadiens’ inconsistencies chased them into the playoffs and cost them at the most crucial times. It remains to be seen if they can continue this full team effort every night, but for now, we, Habs fans, can enjoy what was a miraculous comeback over our oldest rivals.