Habs and Leafs square off in Game 7

May 31, 2021
The GIST: Today’s the day: Game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Baby, this is what we came for.
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Habs and Leafs square off in Game 7
Source: Eric Bolte/USA TODAY Sports

Game 6: Before we get into tonight’s game, let’s look back at one of the most electric editions of Hockey Night in Canada since David Ayres recorded his first W. Saturday night’s game included something our country hasn’t seen in 444 days: fans.

  • On the ice, Montreal took a 2–0 lead early in the third period before Toronto tied it up, subjecting the country to 15 minutes of Leaf-dominated overtime before Canadien Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored the game winner.

Game 7: Which brings us to 7 p.m. ET tonight. The Habs and Leafs will square off in Toronto for their first Game 7 since 1964. Toronto won that tilt (and went on to win the Cup), but will history repeat itself? TBH, we’re scared to guess.

  • Toronto is the better team (in this series anyway), but hasn’t been at their best. They’ll need stars like Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews to step up in order to win their first playoff series in 17 years.
  • For their part, the Habs —who came back from a 3-1 series deficit — must stay disciplined, especially in their own zone. The true difference-maker tonight though? Goalie Carey Price.

The next round: While the North Division’s first round wraps up, the rest of the league is already onto the second round. The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche are each up 1-0 over the New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights, respectively.