The Montreal Canadiens are the first team to reach the Stanley Cup Final without winning a majority of their games since the Los Angeles Kings in 2011-12. The Canadiens also won 24 regular-season games, the same number as the Arizona Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks. In fact, five teams in the NHL had 24 wins or more that didn’t qualify for the playoffs. The Canadiens were the fourth seed in the North Division but are now in the Stanley Cup Final. This team looked completely different in the playoffs and now looks more than capable of winning the Cup.
How the Canadiens Got to the Final
It’s easy to point to luck as a cause for this team’s success. After all, The Maple Leafs collapsed and the Jets’ offense couldn’t return to form when Mark Scheifele was suspended. Once the Canadiens beat the Golden Knights, controlling the series, it was clear that this team was transformed. This team struggled in the regular season but had a playoff roster built to make a run, which they did. They matched up particularly well with their opponents in all three zones of the ice.
The Canadiens made all the moves in the offseason to compete for the Stanley Cup. The regular season was a struggle and an adjustment period. It was an exhausting season with Covid-19 outbreaks, injuries, and young skaters still developing. This team had all the pieces in place for a run and they clicked at the right time.
Carey Price
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have been a showcase of the greatness of Carey Price. The world-class goaltender might be one of the best to ever play the game. In the twilight of his career, it’s clear Price is no longer able to single-handedly carry the Canadiens, with the regular season being a particular struggle. With Jake Allen rotating starts for the majority of the regular season, Price was ready for the big run. Every series, every offense, every scoring chance feels suffocated by Price, including a 37-save performance in Game Six. Price particularly has been able to cover up the puck on the initial shot, eliminating any second-chance opportunities.
Nobody in the NHL deserves to lift the Stanley Cup more than Carey Price. A career that has been filled with Vezina Trophies, a Hart Trophy, and gravity-defying saves is missing one thing. It’s a shame that the best goaltender of the previous generation doesn’t have Championships to go along with the success. Martin Brodeur won the Stanley Cup three times, and Patrick Roy won two with the Canadiens and two with the Avalanche (Roy is often the goaltender that overshadows Price). This is the world-class goaltender’s best chance to win the cup. This time, however, he doesn’t need to carry his team but he has as an added bonus.
Young Goal-Scorers
The primary reason for the surprise in the playoffs has been the rapid development of the young forwards on the roster. Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Cole Caufield are all 21-years-old or younger. The trio provides unique energy to their lines that give the Canadiens an edge in the playoffs, especially in transition.
What makes this trio intriguing is that Cole Caufield joined the team late in the season, giving fans an incomplete picture of the Canadiens roster based on the majority of the season. Caufield was drafted in 2019 but played in college prior to joining the team late in March. His instincts have been particularly noticed as he is able to constantly find open skaters and create scoring opportunities on odd-man rushes and in the offensive zone. Caufield scored four goals in the Semifinal series against the Golden Knights. It was the same number of goals scored by the Vegas forwards in the series oddly enough.
The trio of Caufield, Suzuki, and Kotkaniemi has combined for 14 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Moreover, they provide the goal-scoring presence on the backend that the team lacked the entire season. The playoffs require scoring depth, good defense will eliminate the best of scorers, requiring late-line goals. The youth of the Canadiens has provided the forwards unit the flexibility to add energy to any line and find goals throughout the roster. Most notably, the young skaters are taking advantage of the odd-man rushes and outskating their opponents.
An Incredible Penalty Kill
It makes no sense on paper. The Canadiens have killed their last 26 penalties, the equivalent of a full NHL game. Moreover, the Canadiens have been able to score four short-handed goals, making them more of a scoring threat than the team on the power play oftentimes. The oddity feels like an outlier or a coincidence, with the expectation for the numbers to even out. The problem is when you watch them on the ice, it’s clear that the number isn’t deceiving. The penalty kill is simply unreal and built to take advantage.
The first thing that stands out from the penalty kill is their ability to force difficult shots, noes that are easily saved by Price. The Canadiens in particular control the center of the ice in the penalty kill and force turnovers with opponents being overaggressive. Moreover, the team presses off the turnovers, not only carrying the puck into the offensive zone but continuing to pressure their opponent even after the turnover. The unit is historically great for the playoffs and can put them over the top.
Forwards Contributing on the Defensive End of The Ice
There isn’t enough praise for Phillip Danault. The veteran center playing on the fourth line has been one of the best on the defensive end of the ice. Danault has created turnovers throughout the playoffs both on the forecheck and backcheck but also in his ability to control the center of the ice. The playoffs require teams to be great on both ends of the ice and the Canadiens forwards have been exceptional defensively. The team has been able to create turnovers in the defensive zone to turn them instantly into scoring chances. The fourth line particularly has led the way and it only seemed fiitng that that shift scored the game-winning goal in overtime to send the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final.
