The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won a playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens since defeating them for the Stanley Cup in 1967.
Down 0-1 in the series, without their captain, and under a ton of pressure the Toronto Maple Leafs rose from the ashes to beat the Habs 5-1 on hockey night in Canada. They needed somebody to really step up. That somebody was Auston Matthews.
I’ll get to Matthews later, and the power-play. First, I’m going to talk about the relentless effort that dominated the Canadiens 5v5 in the name of their captain. They did this for JT.
With many fans reeling from the game 1 loss, and emotionally drained from watching Tavares leave the ice, it felt like a must win game for the blue and white.
Let’s be honest, it WAS a must win game. Going to Montreal down 0-2 without your captain wasn’t really an option.