Saturday Habs Headlines: Kotkaniemi and Suzuki are keys to Canadiens’ success

Montreal Canadiens news and notes

• The Montreal Canadiens’ playoff success has been fueled by a surprising source - Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki. [Montreal Gazette]
• The Canadiens were determined to stay focused on winning despite how they felt about Scheifele’s hit, and that is exactly what they did in Game 2. [La Presse]
• And the best part is, the team is doing this without Brendan Gallagher playing at his best. [TSN 690]
• Emotions were running high when Don Amero made the difficult decision to sing the national anthem ahead of game one. [Globe and Mail]
• Canadiens legend Ken Dryden called out NHL’s tendency to be lenient when it comes to player safety. [Montreal Gazette]

Around the league and elsewhere

• How does one describe the feeling of watching sports fans and their reactions to the subsequent highs and lows of the teams that they root for? [Defector]
• The Colorado Avalanche’s formidable power play might just power them to the Stanley Cup Final. [Sportsnet]
• Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear spoke out about the racism he faced in the aftermath of his team’s elimination from the playoffs. [CTV News]
• Which coaches are expected to fill the existing vacancies? [The Score]
• Unfortunately for the Columbus Blue Jackets, they will be without the services of Max Domi to start their season. [ESPN]