In Montreal, it took all of 99 seconds of overtime to send the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final on Thursday.
Artturi Lehkonen potted the series-winning goal in Game 6 for a 3-2 win and 4-2 series win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I saw an opening on my left and ‘Lehky’ was there,” Montreal’s Phillip Danault said. “I made the pass and it was the cherry on top of the sundae.”
Carey Price made 37 saves to get the win for the Habs.
“I’m excited for those that were lucky enough to be in the building (3,500),” Price said. “Everybody in the city’s obviously ecstatic. It’s a fun time to be in Montreal right now.”
Shea Weber scored off the power play in the 15th minute of the first period to give the Canadiens a 1-0 lead.
“I’m definitely proud of everybody in that locker room and what we’ve accomplished so far, but there’s still work to be done,” Weber said.
That lead did not last long, Reilly Smith scored 49 seconds later to end the first period tied, 1-1.
“When you get to this point, the teams that win find another level,” Vegas head coach Peter DeBoer said. “They don’t sag. We didn’t find another level, and they did. I thought they were opportunistic. They owned the key moments of the series.
“When they got a chance, they stuck it in the net. When they needed a big save, they got a big save. They won the overtime battle. They won the special teams battle. If you’re losing those areas of the game, you’re putting yourself in a tough spot.”
Luke Richardson coached the Canadiens for the fourth straight game with head coach Dominique Ducharme shelved with a positive COVID-19 test.
“I fist-bumped him on the video screen,” Richardson said about Ducharme’s brief virtual greeting to the team after the game. “He’d love to be here with us, and we all know that.”
Montreal now awaits the winner of Game 7 between the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lighting, In Tampa, on Friday.
This will be the first time the Canadiens have appeared in the Stanley Cup Final since 1993.
Alec Martinez made overtime necessary when he tied the game, 2-2, 68 seconds into the third period.
“This is one of the best, if not the best teams I’ve played on,” Martinez said. “To come up short is disappointing. I’m proud of the way the guys battled.”
William Karlsson help set up the goal, he had two assists in the loss.
Cole Caulfield scored his fourth of the playoffs in the middle frame to give Montreal a 2-1 lead.
Montreal was 1-for-3 on the power play, Vegas went scoreless in two chances.
Robin Lehner made 29 saves in the loss.
“It’s hard to take in, but I thought we battled hard,” Lehner said. “I’m really proud of our guys’ season. Everyone worked really hard, and it’s not easy to get to the Stanley Cup Final. We were right there.”
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