Montreal sent a message to the entire NHL and the Maple Leafs need to look themselves in the mirror
Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
Montreal just told the Toronto Maple Leafs how to win in Game 7 and now it's time to look in the mirror and see how they can become just as clutch in the moment.
The Canadiens pulled off an incredible Game 7 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday during an OT thriller that saw Alex Newhook bury the game-winner. Toronto hasn't won a Game 7 in the Auston Matthews era. The league's youngest roster just showed their biggest rivals what it takes to get things done.
Newhook's game winner against the Sabres on Monday was a thing of beauty. After corralling a loose puck, he skated to the top of the circle, waited for a screen and absolutely sniped the puck past Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen:
The speedy and aggressive forward just proved that age doesn't matter as the youngest team in the NHL moved on to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Backed by a 37-save performance from Jakub Dobes, Montreal just proved to everyone they have what it takes.
Especially to their most hated rivals.
Montreal beat Tampa with 9 shots and Buffalo in OT; Auston Matthews has never won a Game 7
Taking a look at what the Canadiens did this postseason so far is pretty remarkable. They managed to take Tampa Bay to the limit with the series close the entire time and every game decided by one goal apiece.
It was guys like Lane Hutson, Alex Texier and Zac Bolduc all contributing in the first round, but when Buffalo came around it was a different story. The entire series was a shootout, with a combined 50 goals in seven games including an 8-3 Sabres win; but it's who contributed that makes a difference.
Instead of the previous names (minus Hutson), it was Newhook, Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Jake Evans. People picked up the slack when the others didn't end up producing and it brought them huge success.
Now let's see what Toronto has done when it comes to Game 7.
The team is 0-for-6 in Game 7's since 2012-13 and the last time they won a series in seven was in 2004 against Ottawa. It wasn't like the team was built to fail, as they were up 3-1 in the series against Montreal in 2020-21 and looked locked in; but choked hard. Game 7 saw them lose 3-1 on home ice in quite possibly the most embarrassing playoff loss in the Matthews era.
Auston Matthews has a total of three points (zero goals) in those six games, so it isn't like he's helping his own cause. But Toronto hasn't exactly surrounded him with guys who can pick up that slack either.
Montreal leads the NHL in Game 7 wins and Auston Matthews was six years old when Toronto last won one
Montreal won a game with nine shots, including a period where they didn't have a single one. Toronto has over a dozen games where they scored only one goal with a group of players that could have been considered the best core squad in the entire NHL at one point in time.
The Canadiens now lead the all-time list with 17 Game 7 wins, ahead of the Bruins who have 16, then Detroit with 14. Toronto surprisingly has done quite well with 12, however they do have 16 losses in Game 7's so, clearly they have some work to do.
Montreal was at one point a laughingstock of the East. From 2021-22 to 2023-24 the team finished dead last in the Atlantic and from 1998-2007 were basically irrelevant when it came to postseason relevance.
The turnaround is staggering and the combination of shrewd drafting, great roster construction (Newhook for example) and a coach with unwavering faith in his players has proven that the Canadiens aren't only going to be dangerous; they already are.
The Maple Leafs had Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, and Rielly but couldn't win a thing. Montreal had their homegrown stars like Cole Caufield, Hutson, Slafkovsky contribute but also built a supporting cast around them. Toronto chose star power and Montreal chose unity; one is headed to an Eastern Conference Finals, the other just finished dead last in the division.
Toronto could learn a thing or two about how to build a winning team. Or at least one who can win a Game 7.
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