There were definitely some tense moments along the way but the Habs picked up two of three wins for the second straight week, earning them the Clarence Campbell Bowl for the first (and barring another year like this, only) time as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final to take on Tampa Bay.
The Habs have made it to the Stanley Cup Final after an impressive series victory over Vegas. In honour of them winning in six games, here are six thoughts on the playoffs so far plus the final round that lies ahead.
The Habs weren’t able to hold onto a pair of one-goal leads on Thursday night but it didn’t matter as Artturi Lehkonen scored early in overtime to give Montreal the 3-2 victory, win the Clarence Campbell Bowl, and send them to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Habs leaned on a defensive structure that has been frustrating their opponents all postseason to frustrate the Golden Knights on Tuesday night which helped them secure a 4-1 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.
The Habs took care of another pending free agent on Wednesday, this time in the front office as the team announced that John Sedgwick has signed a three-year contract extension.
The Habs put forth a much more complete effort in Game 4 on Sunday night. However, it wasn’t enough as Vegas turned the tables with a 2-1 overtime victory, squaring up the series at two games apiece.
The first week of Montreal’s semifinal series against Vegas has been a successful one as the Habs grabbed home-ice advantage with a split on the road and then stole a victory on home ice to grab the lead.
The Habs hardly put their best foot forward in regulation on Friday night but some heroics from Carey Price and a late gaffe from Marc-Andre Fleury sent the game to overtime. Montreal was much better in the extra frame and skated away with a crucial 3-2 victory.
On Thursday, the NHL named the three finalists for the Jim Gregory Award, given to the general manager of the year. Montreal GM Marc Bergevin is one of those finalists.
The Habs once again came out strong, took a lead, and were ultimately able to hang on for the 3-2 win on Wednesday night as they split the road game giving them home-ice advantage moving forward.