Canadiens to rely on youth over experience in Game 6 against Maple Leafs

The Montreal Canadiens were able to extend their Stanley Cup First Round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs because of the play of several of their young players.

That dynamic was on display Thursday when forwards Cole Caufield, 20, and Nick Suzuki, 21, combined to give the Canadiens a dramatic 4-3 overtime win in Game 5 in Toronto. They sprinted a few stick lengths apart, with Suzuki taking a return pass from Caufield on their 2-on-0 break to bury the winner behind Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell at 59 seconds.
The Canadiens trail the best-of-7 series and will look to avoid elimination in Game 6 at home Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN; CBC, SN, TVAS).
Montreal coach Dominique Ducharme began the series leaning on experience; Caufield and forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, 20, were scratched for Game 1 though healthy, and Caufield sat for Game 2. Alexander Romanov, a 21-year-old defenseman who played 52 games in the regular season, has yet to play.
"I don't think that's something for us to decide," Caufield said Friday. "The coaching staff has its say. We have all the trust in the world in them to make right decisions. Games 1 and 2, and 3 and 4, they're all behind us, [Game] 5 too.
"We're just focused on the next one. You put the past in the past and you regroup and focus with the lineup that you're given. All the guys that they put out there are the guys they trust to win. Obviously, we've got some great young talent in the room here, but right now we're all just focused on winning, and I think everybody's on board with that."

Suzuki and forward Joel Armia, who have played in all five games, and Kotkaniemi each has scored twice for the Canadiens. Montreal has scored eight goals in the series; the other two were from forwards Josh Anderson and Paul Byron.
"It's obviously a good moment for us, it was a big win, but you kind of forget about it right away because the job's not finished," Caufield said of Game 5. "It's one of the steps to get to our goal, but we've still got more work to do. We enjoyed it right after, but we kind of reset our minds and we focused for today. It's a big game (Saturday), and we're all excited for that."
A win for the Canadiens in their second elimination game in three nights would force Game 7 in Toronto on Monday. The winner of the series will advance to the second round to play the Winnipeg Jets, who swept the Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
Fans will be in attendance for a Canadiens game Saturday for the first time since March 10, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are thrilled to finally have the opportunity to have our fans back at the Bell Centre," Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. "Even if it's only 2,500 fans who can go, our players will appreciate having them back to cheer them on."
It will be the first time that Montreal fans will see Caufield in person. He has played 13 NHL games -- 10 in the regular season and three in the playoffs -- after signing an entry-level contract March 27. The Hobey Baker Award winner, voted the top men's player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey last season, scored five points (four goals, one assist) during the regular season after scoring 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games for the University of Wisconsin.
"It's going to be electric," Caufield said. "You can count on those fans to be passionate and dedicated to being behind us, giving every ounce of excitement they can. Hopefully we can get the job done for them."