The HABS late third period 4-3 surprise win left fans on both teams shaking their heads for different reasons and in different directions

"A few days after the loss I was on a phone call with former Montreal Canadien’s Stanley Cup champion Ryan Walter as we were discussing a future leadership session and he asked me what I thought about the finals...I just really enjoyed how they made me believe they were always in it.” I paused. “Or maybe that’s just what you say after your team loses”

So, are all the analysts jumping back on the Canadiens are done bandwagon? Probably a few of them because they all want to be right, they want to be first, and they’re going with the odds, on paper.

If the NHL doesn’t suspend Scheifele for at least the duration of this series, if not longer, then the league isn’t just broken, it’s irreparable when it comes to its ability to translate these types of on-ice indiscretions into fair and actionable consequences.

For the Canadiens, The Torch may have been passed from failing hands, but for now, unfortunately, to failing hands.

The only thing the HABS had going for them was Carey Price and the transition pass up ice that died on the boards or was broken up by the Leafs.

On the perimeter a score like 5-1 suggests a dominant win, or that’s what the pendulum-fans will have you believe on social media. When you pick this game apart though, the score wasn’t reflective of all the micro moments that contributed to it.

A lot can happen in 60 minutes of hockey stretched over 3 hours and it certainly did in this game and it can go either way over the rest of the series, not just in wins, but also in decorum.

If your boss gets you a box of tools and you don’t use it and fail, you’re going to have a different conversation than if you did use it and failed.

If I was going with overall talent consistency this season, I’d take the Leafs in 5. If I was going with passion and history (and yes, history matters), I’d take the Canadiens in 7.