The Montreal Crowd Claimed A Victory | Defector

"Something like 40,000 people were in the immediate vicinity of the Canadiens' arena on Sunday night, per the TV broadcast. About half of them were inside the league's largest building-and therefore, in my experience, the loudest. The other half was crowded into the huge outdoor plaza that had to add a third giant screen to keep up with demand."

"Quebec hasn't been the center of the hockey universe in my lifetime, but it's still hard for me not to get romantic about French-Canadians and their game. From Maurice Richard to Marie-Philip Poulin, there is an overwhelming amount of hockey history tied to this area, and a tremendous pride in that history that fuels a rabid devotion to the teams of today."

"It's a lot of pressure, and early in their careers I worried about the ability of Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to carry the weight of this fanbase's anxieties. But as Suzuki's taken over the captaincy and Caufield's become a 50-goal scorer, they've ushered in a new era of Canadiens hockey that has blessed these fans with an unbelievable young core."

"Every Habs scorer in their 6-2 win was 25 years old or younger, and the combined force of their attack, coupled with the volume of the Montreal crowd, created a scene that rattled the Sabres. To permanently take the lead in the second period, it was Hutson doing what he does best on the power play, maneuvering to set up Caufield to do what he does best."

The Sabres performed strongly on the road, winning all three playoff games in Boston by a combined 13-3. Montreal presented a different challenge, with about 40,000 people near the Canadiens arena and a large portion inside the league’s biggest building and the rest in an outdoor plaza with multiple screens. The city’s deep hockey history and pride create intense pressure. Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki helped shift that pressure into a new era, supported by a young core including Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, and Ivan Demidov. In a 6-2 win, every Montreal scorer was 25 or younger, and the crowd’s volume amplified the team’s attack. Lane Hutson set up Cole Caufield on the power play to help Montreal take a permanent lead in the second period.

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