That surprising playoff run proved to be essentially a last hurrah for Price and Weber, but it was an invaluable experience for the likes of forwards Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault.
All six played in the Cup Final that year and are still with the Canadiens following a rebuild that began when St. Louis was hired as interim coach during the 2021-22 season.
After improving each season since three straight last-place finishes in the Atlantic Division, Montreal clinched a playoff berth last season. The Canadiens lost to the Washington Capitals in five games in the first round, but their young roster acquired valuable playoff experience, notably forwards Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov, defenseman Lane Hutson and goalie Jakub Dobes.
They’ve needed every bit of that experience in this series, which has seen each of the first six games decided by one goal, and four requiring overtime. Montreal has yet to trail by more than one.
“Every game in this series has felt like a Game 7 -- it’s tight,” St. Louis said. “… I liked the number of chances we created yesterday, the 2-on-1s. I felt like we were able to find space yesterday, and that’s encouraging.”
On the eve of Game 7, St. Louis feels his young team has the ability to take advantage of its latest opportunity to progress.
“I don’t think it’s one thing, but I think the guys are very confident that we can get the job done,” St. Louis said.
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