The Montreal Canadiens extended their magical playoff run with a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday to force a decisive Game Seven with the defending Stanley Cup champions.
It marks the second straight series the upstart Canadiens have forced a seventh game, and this time no one is dismissing their chances since they eliminated the top seed Washington Capitals in the opening round.
“It’s one game to see who moves onto the Eastern Conference final,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma told reporters. “Everyone in the building will understand what’s at stake. You’re either moving on or going home.”
Game Seven will be played today in Pittsburgh.
No Canadian team has won an NHL championship since 1993 when the Canadiens lifted the last of their record 24 Stanley Cups; and few experts had pegged them to be in the hunt this spring after they limped into the post-season.
The banged up Canadiens have captured the hearts of the demanding Quebec ice hockey fans with their gritty play versus the Eastern Conference’s two most dangerous teams.
The underdog and undersized Canadiens had been expected to fall in four games in the first round, but fought back from a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Capitals. Now they have pushed the Stanley Cup champions to the brink.
“What an opportunity now, Game Seven here we come,” said Michael Cammalleri, who paced the Canadiens attack with a pair of goals to push his playoff total to a league best 11.
The atmosphere inside Montreal’s Bell Center was electric and dripping with tradition.
A young hockey player skated onto the ice of a dark arena with a torch, circled the rink and then lowered the flame to the ice, which exploded into simulated fire as the crowd cheered.
Cammalleri had the arena back on its feet 73 seconds after the opening faceoff when he sent a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury’s outstretched glove.
The Penguins hit back when Crosby broke out of his scoring slump by batting the puck past Montreal’s goalie for his first of the series.
Kris Letang’s power-play goal early in the second gave Pittsburgh their first lead of the night.
However, the Canadiens would regain the lead for good before the end of the period on goals from Cammalleri and Jaroslav Spacek, who returned after missing nine games with a virus.
Maxim Lapierre and Pittsburgh’s Bill Guerin traded third period markers to round out the scoring.
■FLYERS 4, BRUINS 0
REUTER, BOSTON
Philadelphia’s backup goalie came off the bench to help the team avoid elimination for the second straight contest on Monday as the Flyers thrashed the Boston Bruins 4-0 in Game Five of their Eastern Conference semi-finals series.
Michael Leighton’s playoff debut is one he will remember fondly after he was called on early in the second period when regular stopper Brian Boucher suffered a leg injury during a pileup in front of his net.
Leighton stopped all 14 shots he faced and silenced the Boston crowd as the Flyers skated to a comfortable victory that reduced the home team’s lead in the series to 3-2 with Game Six in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Now, after racing out to a 3-0 series lead and looking certain to reach the Eastern Conference final for the first time in 18 years, Boston has to win on the road to avoid a nail-biting Game Seven.
One game after returning from a toe injury and notching the game-winner in overtime on Friday, a revitalized Simon Gagne netted two goals in the Philadelphia victory, with wingers Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell adding the other scores.
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