Game 7s to remember: Halak shocks high-flying Capitals
The NHL should be deep into postseason action, but with the start of the 2019-20 playoffs delayed, theScore's hockey editors are picking their favorite Game 7s from years past.
We're now looking back at how one of the biggest recent playoff upsets concluded. The Montreal Canadiens, with goaltender Jaroslav Halak leading the way, walked into Washington to defeat the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in a thrilling Game 7 during the opening round of the 2009-10 playoffs.
The setup
The Capitals just finished their most dominant regular season of all time, winning the team's first Presidents' Trophy. A young Alex Ovechkin was fresh off a 50-goal, 109-point campaign, and he was looking to keep things rolling in the postseason, with the Capitals entering as the No. 1 seed in the East.
The 2009-10 season was a special one for the Canadiens, as it was their 100th anniversary. After hosting the 2009 NHL Draft and All-Star Game, Montreal managed to squeeze into the playoffs as the eighth seed, beating out the New York Rangers by one point.
The Capitals couldn't have asked for a better first-round matchup on paper. They had scored 99 more goals than the Canadiens that season while racking up 15 more regulation wins, and they were 33 points ahead of Montreal in the standings.
However, what should have been an easy series win was far from it.
The series
The Canadiens' Carey Price and Halak split starts in goal evenly all season long. But come playoff time, Halak was given the nod, helping to stun the Capitals in Game 1 while stopping 45 of 47 shots. But the Canadiens went on to drop the next three games to go down 3-1 in the series.
On the brink of elimination, Halak went superhuman. He stopped 37 of 38 shots in Game 5 to keep the Habs alive, and the then 24-year-old one-upped his performance by stopping 53 of 54 shots in Game 6 to force a Game 7.
Through six games, Washington was outshooting Montreal 250 to 178, but only outscoring the Habs 21 to 18. With Halak playing on another level and the Capitals unable to solve him, Montreal headed to Washington ready to steal the series.
The game
The star: This one is a no-brainer, and it's evident who the game's single star was just by simply looking at the box score. Halak gets all the credit again after stepping up when it mattered most against the league's best offensive team.
Facing pressure all night long, he stopped 41 of 42 shots and blanked the Capitals on their three power-play opportunities. He helped steer the Canadiens, who mustered just 16 shots on goal, to an improbable victory.
The X-factor(s): Canadiens defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron played just 4:06 in Game 7. But he made the most of his limited ice time, blasting home a power-play goal in the dying seconds of the first period to give the Habs a 1-0 lead they didn't relinquish.
The Canadiens' defense was abysmal in the series. However, the team blocked an incredible 41 shots from the Capitals in Game 7, with big-bodied Hal Gill leading (six blocks).
The key moment: To start the third period, the Capitals were still trying to figure out how to get one past the brick wall standing in the Canadiens' net. Minutes into the frame, Ovechkin thought he tied the game with a wicked wrist shot.
While the team and fans were busy celebrating, they all failed to realize the referee waived the goal off due to Mike Knuble's goaltender interference. The Capitals returned to square one with their backs against the wall.
The highlight
Dominic Moore, one of Montreal's trade-deadline acquisitions that season, proved the deal to get him was absolutely worth it by potting the most crucial goal of the series. With Washington pressing hard, the Canadiens broke out, and Moore pounced on the opportunity.
The Canadiens knew that with three-and-a-half minutes left, their 2-0 lead wasn't necessarily safe. The Capitals' Brooks Laich scored one minute later, but the Canadiens were able to hold onto the lead and close out the game, with Moore's tally standing as the series-winner.
The fallout
After stunning the Capitals in the first round, the Canadiens took on the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. With gas still left in the tank, the Canadiens and Halak also upset the Penguins in seven games. Then things fell apart when the Philadelphia Flyers dropped Montreal in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.
That summer, both Halak and Price became restricted free agents. Price was clearly the goalie of the future in Montreal, but Halak's playoff performance still made the decision between the two extremely tough.
Ultimately, the Canadiens rolled the dice and stuck with Price, trading Halak to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz. Eller quickly became a fan favorite and spent six seasons in Montreal, while Schultz never suited up in an NHL game.
Halak has enjoyed success with the Blues, New York Islanders, and Boston Bruins since being dealt. His departure ushered in a new era for the Canadiens, with future Hart Trophy winner Price anchoring the team. Montreal has returned to the conference final once with Price, but otherwise the club hasn't accomplished much.
The Canadiens' 2009-10 playoff run may not have resulted in a Stanley Cup, but Halak put together one of the most memorable postseason performances we've seen in a long time.