from Jonathan Clipperton of the CP at North Shore News,

The Stanley Cup dream — this crazy, improbable dream — is alive and well for the Montreal Canadiens.

And, quite frankly, on some level it makes perfect sense in a year like no other.

Carey Price made 37 saves, including a huge stop on Max Pacioretty in overtime, before Artturi Lehkonen scored at 1:39 of Thursday's extra period as the underdog Canadiens provided another playoff shocker by downing the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 to win their third-round series 4-2 and advance to the final for the first time since 1993.

"We wouldn't be here right now if we didn't believe," Price said of a team that went through roller-coaster season prior to catching lightning in a bottle the last two months. "We've always stuck with it."...

Minus their leader and with assistant coach Luke Richardson calling the shots, Montreal won three of the next four against a frustrated opponent that finished second in the NHL's overall standings, 23 points better than the Canadiens.

"These guys are a special group and a really good mix," Richardson said. "It's hard to put into words how proud we are of them, but they deserve it.

"They're not done yet. They saw a fire in their eyes."

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