LARGE DROP-OFF IN OT DRAMA FROM HABS’ DAYS
Watching Sportsnet’s well-done feature on the last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup — 24 Together: The 1993 Montreal Canadiens — provided a reminder of a remarkable feat.
It was also a reminder of what this spring’s post-season tournament has largely missed.
Those Habs of 25 years ago had a rocky start when they lost the first game played by the expansion Ottawa Senators. They also had a rough middle — struggling goalie Patrick Roy was booed by his fans at the all-star skills competition.
But Roy pulled it together and led the Habs into the playoffs, where they went on to claim the Cup because they won 10 consecutive overtimes.
“It’s insane when you think about it,”
Roy tells interviewer Scott Morrison in the feature. “I don’t think we’ll ever see that again.”
No, probably not. Consider that by comparison, the first three rounds of the 2018 playoffs featured just 10 overtime games in total.
That’s a big drop off from just last year, when the first round alone featured a record 18 overtime games.
Of the 10 OTs, the Capitals and Golden Knights were involved in eight.
The Caps lost their first two, when Artemi Panarin and Matt Calvert each scored to give Columbus a 2-0, first-round lead. The Capitals bounced back in that series thanks to overtime goals by Lars Eller and Nicklas Backstrom before they eliminated the Blue Jackets in six.
And Evgeny Kuznetsov’s overtime goal was the series clincher as the Capitals eliminated the Penguins in six games in the second round.
The Golden Knights were only in three overtimes, two of which went into five periods. Erik Haula netted a double-overtime goal scored in a Round 1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings that gave Vegas a 2-0 series lead, while Logan Couture scored a doubleovertime goal in Round 2 that pulled the Sharks into a 1-1 deadlock with Vegas.
The Golden Knights didn’t take long to get over that disappointment, however, as William Karlsson scored in the fourth period of Game 3 to pulled his team back in front of the Sharks.