The Montreal Canadiens faced elimination three times against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And they brushed off the pressure each time.
Carey Price made 30 saves and the Canadiens advanced to the second round by beating the Maple Leafs 3-1 in Game 7 on Monday night.
Brendan Gallagher, Corey Perry and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Canadiens, who stormed back from a 3-1 deficit for the third time in franchise history to win a series. Eric Staal had two assists for Montreal, which advanced to the second round for the first time since 2015.
“We played Game 5, Game 6 the same way — we had our backs to the wall,” Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme said. “So for us tonight, it was just the same mindset, the same way to prepare, and I felt our guys were in the right place and even more confident than before because we just won those last two games.
“So (Monday) was not that different of a day. I thought our guys handled it really well and I think it showed on the ice.”
The Canadiens will take on Winnipeg after the Jets swept Edmonton in the Canadian-based North Division’s other series. Game 1 is Wednesday at Winnipeg.
