Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire “,….. proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community….
The Montreal Canadiens, and NOT the Toronto Maple Leafs, opened the NHL North Final last night at Winnipeg.
For Canadiens fans, outside of the extreme longshot of the Habs winning the Stanley Cup, life can’t get much better in 2021.
For Leaf fans, you really have to question your team and your loyalty.
Make no mistake, Montreal earned their 7 game series win over the Leafs.
They scored a crucial shorthanded goal to win Game 1
They pounced on brutal turnovers in overtime to win Games 5 & 6.
And they flat out earned the Game 7 win in Toronto.
Sure netminder Carey Price was a major factor in Montreal’s win, but Toronto’s issues aren’t centered on Jack Campbell who did an admirable job in goal for the Leafs.
In fairness, this Jack Campbell performed far better than the OHL version of Jack Campbell who played at Windsor and Sault Ste Marie.
Similarly, I think both William Nylander and Jason Spezza performed well, far above expectations.
Yes, John Tavares was out for the bulk of the series.
Yes, Jake Muzzin missed game 7 due to injury.
And yes, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that other valuable Leaf performers like Wayne Simmonds & Zach Hyman were better before injury than after they returned.
But whether those were factors or excuses is a moot point now and too many Leafs were nowhere to be found and thus it was Montreal and NOT Toronto in Winnipeg last night for the NHL North Final opener.
For Pete’s Auto Body, I’m Fred Wallace.