Game 3: What you need to know
The Canadiens are looking to take the lead in the series on Friday night in front of 3,500 fans
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Here's everything you need to know heading into Game 3:
Looking back
Dominique Ducharme's squad secured a huge 3-2 victory over the Golden Knights on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena to tie the series 1-1. The Canadiens buried their chances early in the contest to build momentum. Winger Joel Armia opened the scoring at the 6:12 mark of the first period, before Tyler Toffoli added another goal before the frame was done to double Montreal's lead. Forward Paul Byron gave the Canadiens a 3-0 lead with 2:15 left in the middle frame. The Golden Knights tried to rally on the strength of two goals by defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, but goaltender Carey Price stood tall for the visitors. Price turned aside 29 of 31 shots in the win.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: All business.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/fEixuWx54r
Price upped his record to 9-4 in the playoffs this season, setting a new career-high for the most wins in a single postseason run. He previously went 8-4 in 2014. The 33-year-old Anahim Lake, BC native's nine victories are the most by a Habs netminder in a single playoff run since Jaroslav Halak went 9-9 in 2010.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: COMMENT??!!!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/VW9EN7kFnO
Watch list
Among the greats: After leading the Canadiens in scoring during the regular season, Toffoli continues to impress in the playoffs. The 29-year-old winger scored his fifth goal of the postseason on Wedneday night to extend his point streak to eight games. He has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) during that span. It's the longest point streak of any player during the 2021 playoffs and the longest streak by any Canadiens player since Vincent Damphousse in 1993. If Toffoli picks up a point on Friday night, he'll join Larry Robinson (1978) and Guy Lafleur (1977) in first place in Canadiens history with a nine-game postseason point streak.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: HUIT matchs cons��cutifs avec un point pour Toffoli. 🔥EIGHT-GAME point streak for Toffoli.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/EzlHNYM1HF
Learning and growing:With an assist on Toffoli's snipe, rookie Cole Caufield extended his point streak to four games. He became the second 20-year-old in Habs history to register a point in at least four consecutive playoff contests. Shayne Corson accomplished the feat in 1987 by stringing together a six-game point streak at 20 years and 268 days old. Caufield, who was selected 15th overall in 2019, has six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in 11 postseason appearances this year.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: #GoalCaufield, playoff edition. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/xjRSZsX9Yb
Tremendous production:The line of Corey Perry, Eric Staal and Armia has been delivering the goods. The trio has combined for 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) in the playoffs. Armia scored his fifth goal on Wednesday night, which has him tied with Toffoli for the team lead in that department. In doing so, the 28-year-old Finn became the first Canadiens player to score five goals in a single playoff run since Max Pacioretty (5 goals in 11 games) during the 2015 postseason. Armia has eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) in 13 playoff games this year.
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: Le premier but si important.That all-important first goal.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/dxcm9EzU3L
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
The Golden Knights' five-game winning streak was snapped on Wednesday night. Peter DeBoer's contingent hadn't lost since June 2 when they dropped Game 2 of their second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. Pietrangelo was the lone Vegas player to solve Price. For his part, goaltender Marc-André Fleury made 20 saves.
The Golden Knights were deprived of centreman Chandler Stephenson's services for Game 2 versus Montreal due to injury.
Watch list
Good company:Pietrangelo scored his second and third goal of the playoffs on Wednesday night. He has 61 points (11 goals, 50 assists) in 107 postseason games. Since making his playoff debut in 2012, the King City, ON native is one of only four defensemen to reach the 60-point plateau. He joined Victor Hedman (18 goals, 59 assists and 77 points in 104 games), John Carlson (15 goals, 46 assists and 61 points in 101 games) and Kris Letang (13 goals, 47 assists and 60 points in 83 games). Pietrangelo has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 15 postseason games this year.
Tweet from @GoldenKnights: OH BOY HERE WE COME pic.twitter.com/QrQSelYZFf
Six and counting: Centreman William Karlsson assisted on Pietrangelo's second goal to extend his point streak to six games. He has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) during that span. The 28-year-old Swede leads Vegas with 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists) in the playoffs. He's just two points shy of matching his career-high of 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists) in 20 games in 2018.
Looking for answers:DeBoer's squad desperately needs better offensive contributions from its forwards. Through two games of the series, the Golden Knights' forwards have nine points (1 goal, 8 assists). Winger Mattias Janmark is the lone forward with a goal on Price. Vegas' defensemen, meanwhile, have combined for eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) through two contests.
On paper
Here are a few key stats from the series so far:
Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 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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