Game 2: What you need to know
The Canadiens have another opportunity to play spoiler on Friday night in Manitoba
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Here's everything you need to know heading into Game 2:
Looking back
Rest is supposed to be a weapon in the playoffs, but that wasn't the case on Wednesday night. The Canadiens pounced on the Jets, who hadn't played since May 24, scoring three goals in the first period alone en route to a 5-3 victory in Game 1. Jesperi Kotkaniemi (3:30), Eric Staal (5:10) and Nick Suzuki (17:14) lit the lamp behind goaltender Connor Hellebuyck in the opening frame, giving Montreal a 3-1 advantage after 20 minutes. The lone mistake the Habs would make was surrendering a short-handed goal to Jets centreman Adam Lowry. Interim head coach Dominique Ducharme's contingent couldn't have asked for a better start on road ice coming off a hard-fought seven-game series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. There were no goals to report in the middle frame, but things eventually opened up in the third. Defenseman Derek Forbort brought Winnipeg to within a goal with 10:38 remaining in regulation, but Brendan Gallagher responded just 1:42 later, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal. Kyle Connor scored for the Jets with 1:42 left before the final buzzer to make things interesting, but Jake Evans buried an empty-netter to put the contest out of reach for good. Goaltender Carey Price turned aside 27 of 30 shots in the win.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Eric Staal: 2-0, svp.Eric Staal: Make that 2-0! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QFUkJksLXI
Unfortunately, the encounter took a nasty turn when veteran Jets centreman Mark Scheifele threw a vicious hit on Evans after his goal with 57 seconds on the clock. Scheifele showed absolutely no regard for the 25-year-old University of Notre Dame product when he lined him up from afar and followed through behind the goal line, ultimately sending Evans off the ice on a stretcher. He was assessed a major charging penalty and a game misconduct on the play.
Following Thursday afternoon's off-ice workout at Bell MTS Place, Ducharme confirmed that Evans sustained a concussion on the play and would be sidelined indefinitely. Later in the evening, the NHL's Department of Player Safety suspended Scheifele for four games.
Tweet from @NHLPlayerSafety: Winnipeg���s Mark Scheifele has been suspended for four games for Charging Montreal���s Jake Evans. https://t.co/MhMHK55lmC
Watch list
Can't stop KK:It was only fitting that Kotkaniemi kicked off the scoring in the series-opener. The 20-year-old centreman has been outstanding for the Canadiens during the postseason, registering a team-leading four goals through seven games. Kotkaniemi has eight goals in 17 career playoff games with Montreal. Only one Canadiens player has scored more postseason goals before their 21st birthday than the third-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft - Claude Lemieux with 10. The Pori, Finland native has defenseman Jeff Petry to thank for his most recent marker. Petry's perfectly placed shot-pass from the point found his stick for an easy redirect past a helpless Hellebuyck. With three goals in his last four games, it's safe to say that Kotkaniemi is brimming with confidence, which is bad news for the Jets. The three-year NHL veteran has already matched his postseason goal total from last year when he scored four times in 10 appearances.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: On prend l'avance t��t gr��ce au 4e but des s��ries de Kotkaniemi!An early lead thanks to Kotkaniemi's 4th of the postseason! #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QpbBR8dVRw
The veteran and the kid: Both Corey Perry and Suzuki played critical roles in helping the Canadiens overcome a 3-1 series deficit to the Maple Leafs, and they were equally impressive versus Winnipeg in Game 1. After Perry extended his point streak to four games with a terrific assist on Staal's tally, Suzuki did the same with a highlight-reel snipe that showed remarkable patience and maturity. Perry (2 goals, 3 assists) and Suzuki (3 goals, 2 assists) have five points each in the playoffs, one point behind Staal and Tyler Toffoli heading into Game 2. The mix of experience and youth throughout the Habs' lineup has clearly paid dividends at the most important time of the year and it should be fun to watch the rest of the way.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: 🤯 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/8E7YDxlSZh
Defense wins championships:The Canadiens' defensemen combined for only two points (2 assists) in the series versus Toronto, but they produced six points (6 assists) in Wednesday night's game alone. Petry and Joel Edmundson had two helpers each, while Shea Weber and Erik Gustafsson were contributors in that department as well. The Habs' blueliners did their respective jobs on the defensive side of things too, keeping some of the Jets' big guns like Scheifele and Blake Wheeler completely off the scoresheet. It always helps to have a goaltender like Price behind you in that regard, of course. The 33-year-old Anaheim Lake, BC native outdueled Hellebuyck to improve his record to 5-3 in the playoffs. Price also owns a 2.33 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: On ne s'attend jamais �� dire: ��Weber en ��chapp��e, suivi de Gallagher��... mais bon. 🤷���������We don't often expect to say: "Weber on a breakaway, followed by Gallagher..." but hey!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XhnvynedfH
Quick hits
- The Jets and Canadiens wore special helmet decals to pay tribute to the 215 children in Kamloops, BC, and to show support for all Indigenous communities.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: The Canadiens are partnering with the First Nations Education Council to organize a shoe drive for local organizations that work with Indigenous communities.https://t.co/kSOl3M3t5A
- After completing the historic comeback against Toronto, Montreal has strung together four straight wins in a single postseason for just the fourth time in 30 years. The Canadiens previously accomplished the feat twice in 1993 and once in 2014.
- The Habs own an all-time series record of 63-11 when leading 1-0 in a best-of-seven series (.851), including 2021. It marks the third-highest win percentage in NHL history behind the Edmonton Oilers (.875; 21-3) and Anaheim Ducks (.867; 13-2).
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: 🔘���������#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/XqdC0Kz3Xv
What's on tap?
Fan activations are presented by four pillar partners RONA, Scotiabank, Lafleur and Ford.
Details on all of the team's postseason initiatives, including schedules and direct links to the appropriate content platforms, can be found at canadiens.com/playoffs.
At the other end
Heading to Montreal down 2-0 in the series wouldn't be advisable for the Jets, so expect Paul Maurice's contingent to be a far different group tonight. Being blitzed early certainly didn't help their cause, but they still managed to fight back and keep things relatively close until the end. A fierce competitor like Hellebuyck will be eager to redeem himself between the pipes after giving up four goals on 32 shots. That means that the Canadiens must continue to get as much traffic as possible to the net in an effort to solve the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, who went undefeated in four starts in the opening round against Edmonton.
Tweet from @NHLJets: On the ice for practice! pic.twitter.com/4FLI1KLbgF
On the Jets' injury front, it remains to be seen if centreman Paul Stastny will be available for Game 2 after missing the series-opener due to injury. Following Friday's morning skate, Maurice indicated that Stastny is a game-time decision.
Watch list
Eyes on Kyle: Connor was a thorn in Montreal's side during the regular season, collecting 10 points (6 goals, 4 assists) in nine games, and he kept right on producing on Wednesday night. The 24-year-old University of Michigan product converted a sublime cross-ice feed from fellow sniper Nikolaj Ehlers that gave the Jets some life with time running out, but Evans' goal 45 seconds later sealed the deal. Connor, who boasts 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 32 career playoff games with Winnipeg, has five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in five playoff games this year.
Short-handed success: Lowry's breakaway goal while the Jets were down a man could've swayed momentum in their favor, but it didn't. It was the first postseason short-handed goal of his career. The 28-year-old St. Louis, MO native, however, is no stranger to scoring when his squad finds itself in penalty trouble. Lowry has scored one short-handed goal in each of the last three regular seasons and has four on his resume. In this instance, the seven-year NHL veteran capitalized on an error by Gustafsson at the Canadiens' blue line and used his speed to his advantage before beating Price five-hole for his first tally of the playoffs. Lowry is riding a three-game point streak, amassing three points (1 goal, 2 assists) during that span.
Chipping in: Defensemen Neil Pionk and Josh Morrissey have been delivering their fair share of offense for Winnipeg through five playoff contests. Both rearguards collected assists on Wednesday night to extend their respective point streaks to three games. Morrissey has five points (1 goal, 4 assists) so far during the postseason, while Pionk has four points (4 assists). Pionk, in particular, is known for his proficient passing. He ranked third on the roster during the regular season with 29 assists, behind only Scheifele and Wheeler.
On paper
Here are a few key stats from Game 1:
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm.
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