The Montreal Canadiens win Game 6 on the back of an Artturi Lehkonen OT winner and have advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1993.
To start the Thursday night elimination game, Robin Lehner took the starter net at practice which indicated a change in net for Vegas. Nicolas Hague took Nick Holden‘s spot and the lineup changes were done for the night, it was game time!
Montreal Canadiens Win Game 6, Advance to Cup Final
Back To Back Goals Highlight Balanced First Period
After a crazy Game 5 where Montreal took the series lead, the Golden Knights started Game 6 hungry. Everything was going well, the period was balanced and both goalies held their grounds to keep the game even. However, after Alex Pietrangelo took the second Vegas penalty of the game, the Canadiens power play broke the ice.
Shea Weber opened the score for the home team but the lead wasn’t kept for long. Reilly Smith tied the game only 48 seconds after the Weber goal. Even allowing one goal each, the two stars of the period were Carey Price and Robin Lehner. Both came up with big saves to keep the game tied and give their teams a chance. Overall, the first 20 minutes of the game were even and the shots were 10-8 Vegas.
Caufield Continues to Shine in The Second
Just like in Game 5, the Canadiens younger core continues to be excellent. The 20-year-old rookie Cole Caufield got his fourth of the playoffs at 9:36 of the second to give Montreal the lead. Another thing that continues to shine for the Canadiens is their penalty kill. Their penalty killers were tested twice in the game and improved their record to 30/30 in the past 13 games.
After the Caufield goal, Lehner made a huge save on Joel Armia with 3:39 left in the period to keep the Montreal lead at one. Both teams did a terrific job at keeping the other away from the net and the shots were 13-12 in favour of Montreal.
The Big Third For Vegas
The Las Vegas team knew they had to get a big start for the third period and they did. With 1:08 into the period, Alec Martinez got one through Price off a shot by Pietrangelo to tie the game. However, not much happened after the goal and both goaltenders continued to show what they are made off. For the third time in the series, the Bell Centre was the stage of overtime.
Overtime
With Habs fans roaring from the stands, the puck dropped on overtime just after 11:00 pm local time. It was the Knights who started the period hungrier, as the William Karlsson line generated some great chances in concert with Pietrangelo. They couldn’t quite get the puck on Price though and the play carried on. A blatant missed icing call nearly cost Montreal the game, but Price stood tall in net.
The play carried on the other way, with Montreal finally getting a scoring chance. Artturi Lehkonen capitalized on the 3-on-2, and Montreal punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
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