Can the Montreal Canadiens do the Impossible Again and Beat the Jets?

After winning Game 1, the Montreal Canadiens found themselves down 3-1 in the series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

But, somehow, with the help of a miracle, or depth, or talent, or Carey Price, or just all of it, they did it.

The Montreal Canadiens forced Games 5 and 6 and won both of them in overtime, for a dramatic effect.

Then came Game 7, the final game, the do or die, advance or go home, and they won it again.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

With countless incredible saves by Price, and enough goals, the Habs won, eliminated the Leafs, and managed to shock the entire world once again.

Now, I’m not going to go down the “choking” narrative, because I simply don’t believe in it. Do I think the Leafs felt defeated before Game 7 had even started? Of course. But not because I think they are “chokers,” more so because their strategy didn’t seem to work anymore and they were getting frustrated. Which only means that the Canadiens were doing their job right.

The one issue I think Toronto had, was the same issue Montreal had for Games 2, 3, and 4, which was the inability to score. If you want to say that Price and Jack Campbell are Gods, and that the opposing team couldn’t score because of them, you do that. Although they were amazing, winning games and playoffs series remains a team effort, and if the rest of the team can’t score, the goaltenders are not to blame.

It goes both ways. If you’re Leafs fans, you can’t possibly say the only reason the Habs won is Price, or blame Campbell for the Leafs’ loss.

Yes, the Habs managed to score on Jack Campbell, but no, that’s not all on him. It’s simply because they didn’t give up. They kept trying, and shooting, and pressuring the Leafs in their zone, and it finally paid off.

Now, I know the Leafs did too, and to be honest, I’m not sure why they couldn’t score, but they will have to figure it out soon if they want a real shot at the Cup next season.

Let’s get back to the Canadiens in Game 7.

So, first, the nice and needed goal by no one other than Brendan Gallagher. He had had many good chances this series, but hadn’t been able to get a goal, and he finally did, in the biggest way possible, opening the scoring in Game 7. I had said (and I know I’m not the only one) that whichever team scores the first goal, would probably win the game. But the Leafs still looked dangerous out there, especially William Nylander, who did end up getting a goal.

Then, the Habs managed to score on the powerplay, again, which seemed like it was becoming impossible for a while. Could they have figured out what was wrong with it and fixed it? It looks like it, at least for now.

Let’s not forget Tyler Toffoli’s empty-net goal, after which I was still not at ease, and I think the majority of people weren’t. Because we all saw what happened in the last two minutes. Nylander scored, and then, if it weren’t for the Habs’ physicality and ability to shut down the Leafs’ top players, I believe they could’ve tied the game easily, or won the series earlier.

It wasn’t until the last 10 seconds that I felt like the game was really over and the Habs had won. That’s how intense it was.

Now comes the question, can the Montreal Canadiens do it again for Round 2?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see. It depends on them, their energy, motivation, and depth. Can they bring back what they had in these last three games against Toronto? If the answer is yes, then it’s absolutely doable. If the answer is no, it will be a lot more difficult, and could be a shorter series.

Do the Winnipeg Jets feel rested or rusty after not having played a game in a week?

That will also be a determining factor in who wins that series.

Of course, let’s not forget the battle of the goaltenders: Carey Price vs. Connor Hellebuyck. It’s probably the team with the better goaltender that will win the series. Now all I’m hoping for is that the series is as entertaining as the Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs one was.

But no matter the outcome, the Habs have already gotten further than anyone expected them to, including me. After all, I had predicted the Leafs would win the series in six games.

And, once again, the Habs go to the second round as the underdogs, which seems to be something they enjoy. So, there really is no way to know what this series has in store for them.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Winnipeg Jets Stats

In seven games, the Montreal Canadiens scored 14 goals, the same amount of goals the Winnipeg Jets scored in four games against the Edmonton Oilers. Montreal did struggle with scoring, but seemed to have figured it out for the last three games of the series.

In four games this series, Hellebuyck allowed eight goals on 159 shots, giving him a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.60, and a .950 save percentage (SV%). He also got one shutout.

In his overall playoff career, he has played 31 games, won 16 and lost 15. He has an overall playoff GAA of 2.39 and a .922 SV%.

On the other hand, Price allowed 16 goals on 234 shots, giving him a 2.24 GAA and a .932 SV% in seven games.

He has played 77 games in the playoffs, has won 34 and lost 39, with an overall 2.41 GAA and .919 SV%.

The numbers for this year’s playoffs would suggest that Hellebuyck has the advantage over Price, but their playoff career stats show that both goaltenders are at about the same level, which again, makes it almost impossible (at least, for me), to get a read on this.

But if the Habs are able to shut down the Jets, as they did with the Leafs, it should be another close series. It also depends on whether Head Coach Dominique Ducharme makes any lineup changes for Game 1. I wouldn’t be shocked if we were to see a different lineup and strategy come tonight.