When the NHL rolled out its return-to-play format approximately 14 years ago, one of the biggest criticisms of the scheme was that an elite team such as, say, the Pittsburgh Penguins, could be upset by an undeserving 12 seed such as, say, the Montreal Canadiens with goalie Carey Price being the deciding factor.
It seemed like a stretch at the time, particularly the way Price had performed in the almost two seasons leading up to the COVID-19 pause, but the alarmists may have been onto something. For at least one night, they looked downright prescient.
Price was indeed an imposing factor in the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first game of the Eastern Conference play-in series, but what neither the alarmists nor the Penguins could have foreseen was the imprint rookie Nick Suzuki would have on the Canadiens’ fortunes.