With Tyler Toffoli’s overtime winner in Game 4 on Monday night – that proved to be the dagger in the hearts of the Winnipeg Jets – the Montreal Canadiens booked their ticket to the Stanley Cup semifinals for the first time since 2014.
To get there, the Canadiens leaned on their strong depth, solid back-end, and future hall of fame goaltender to anchor a run that has seen them win seven straight – without trailing for even a single minute during that span.
It was always expected that those three assets of the team would be vital to playoff success, but with the emergence of the Canadiens’ special team units and help from its young stars (Cole Caulfield, Nick Suzuki, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi) the team has all the makings of a legitimate Cinderella story.
However, after celebrating in Vancouver-esque fashion on Monday night, the Canadiens and their loyal fans must understand that their tallest task is still to come in the likes of the Colorado Avalanche or Vegas Golden Knights.
As we currently stand, the Vegas Golden Knights hold a 3-2 series lead. Although, the president-trophy-winning Avalanche should not be counted out quite yet, as they have shown resilience on a number of occasions this season – having dealt with nagging injuries, suspensions, and COVID-19.
With that being said, which of these two matchups should the Canadiens and their faithful be rooting for as the remainder of the high-octane Western division final is played out?