Game 6: What you need to know

MONTREAL – A victory over the Golden Knights would clinch the Canadiens’ first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since 1993.

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Here’s everything you need to know heading into Game 6:

Looking back

The Canadiens went into hostile territory on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena and delivered a nearly flawless performance to earn a 4-1 win and take a 3-2 lead in their Semifinals series, pushing the Golden Knights to the brink of elimination. Jesperi Kotkaniemi got things started for Montreal in the first period, before Eric Staal and Cole Caufield scored just 3:17 apart in the second for a 3-0 advantage heading into the final stanza. Former Habs captain Max Pacioretty scored the lone goal for Vegas in the third, before Nick Suzuki added an empty-netter late in regulation. Goaltender Carey Price turned aside 26 of 27 shots to record his 11th win of the postseason.

After beating the Golden Knights again in their own barn, Montreal improved to 7-2 as visitors in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, matching its most road wins in a single postseason, a mark set in 1989 (7-3).

Watch list

So young, but so talented: Suzuki led the Canadiens with a three-point effort (1 goal, 2 assists) in Game 5 to extend his point streak to three games. He has five points (1 goal, 4 assists) during that span. The 21-year-old London, ON native’s pass to Staal for his upstairs snipe on goaltender Marc-André Fleury was simply superb. Suzuki ranks second on the roster in playoff scoring with 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists), one point back of winger Tyler Toffoli. The only player in franchise history with more points in a playoff year before age 22 is Claude Lemieux, who amassed 16 points (10 goals, 6 assists) in 20 games in 1986 when the Canadiens won their 23rd Stanley Cup.

KK loves the playoffs: Kotkaniemi snapped a seven-game goal drought on Tuesday night with the all-important first tally of the contest. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Canadiens on road ice. The 20-year-old Finn is currently tied with Toffoli, Suzuki and Armia for the team lead in goals during the postseason with five. Kotkaniemi has nine career playoff goals in 25 games. Only seven players in League history have had more goals before age 21, including Jaromir Jagr (14), Jordan Staal (13), Jeremy Roenick (12), Brent Sutter (12), Wendel Clark (11), Dan Quinn (11) and Lemieux (10). The former third-overall selection in 2018 has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in 15 playoff appearances this season.

King Cole: Caufield just continues to impress night after night. With his third goal of the series in Game 5, the 20-year-old Stevens Point, WI native has registered his name on the scoresheet in six of the last seven games dating back to Game 3 of the second-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. Caufield has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 14 playoff games. He became the first Habs rookie with eight or more points in a postseason since defenseman P.K. Subban had an equal amount (1 goal, 7 assists) in 14 games in 2010. Veteran Corey Perry deserves all the credit in the world for his sublime backhand dish to Caufield, who quickly got the shot off and gave Fleury no chance whatsoever on the play.

What’s on tap?

Fan activations are presented by four pillar partners RONA, Scotiabank, Lafleur and Ford.

Details on all of the team’s postseason initiatives, including schedules and direct links to the appropriate content platforms, can be found at canadiens.com/playoffs.

At the other end

The mission is clear for the Golden Knights if they hope to keep their season alive. Head coach Peter DeBoer’s squad must play spoiler on Thursday night by finding ways to penetrate the Canadiens’ stingy defense and ultimately solve Price as well, which is easier said than done.

Keep in mind that the Canadiens have not allowed a power play goal in the past 12 games, the longest postseason streak since the NHL began tracking goals by strength in 1933-34. They are 28-for-28 on the penalty kill during that impressive run. The Golden Knights are 0-for-13 on the power play in the series.

Watch list

Been here before: This will be the second time Vegas has faced elimination during the postseason. The Golden Knights surrendered a 3-1 first-round series lead against the Minnesota Wild, before posting a 6-2 win in Game 7 at T-Mobile Arena to move on. Forward Mattias Janmark led the way with a hat trick, while Fleury stopped 18 of 20 shots. The task is a lot bigger for DeBoer’s troops this time around, of course, because they aren’t in the friendly confines of their own building and the Canadiens will be extra hungry to finish the series on home turf. As per usual, expect the Golden Knights to do everything in their power to get on the scoreboard first and try to zap the fans’ energy and enthusiasm in the process.

A little help, please: Pacioretty scored his first goal of the series on Tuesday night, which gave the Golden Knights some life early in the third period. That’s all the offense Vegas could muster, however, as Price shut the door the rest of the way. The 32-year-old winger was just the third Vegas forward to score in the series, joining Janmark and Nicolas Roy. Montreal has done a masterful job frustrating the likes of Alex Tuch, Jonathan Marchessault and captain Mark Stone, among other key Golden Knights snipers. Tuch has two points (2 assists), Marchessault has one point (1 assist), while Stone has none. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo continues to be the most noticeable offensive weapon for DeBoer’s contingent with 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in the playoffs and a team-leading 70 shots on goal.

Nifty Nic: Roy collected the lone assist on Pacioretty’s goal, extending his point streak to three games. The 24-year-old Amos, QC native should have some more good vibes heading into Thursday night’s encounter after delivering the knockout punch earlier in the week at the Bell Centre with the overtime-winner in Game 4. Roy, who has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 18 playoff games, will likely have some supporters in the stands again as he returns to his home province. He’ll be chomping at the bit to come up clutch for the Golden Knights and be a factor in the club’s most important game of the season to date.

On paper

Here are a few key stats from the series:

VEGAS   MONTREAL 11 Goals 12 154 Shots 133 184 Hits 241 0% PP% 25% 75% PK% 100%

Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, and listen to all the action on TSN Radio 690 and 98,5 fm.