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THE PLAYOFFS

Grabbing a stranglehold on the quarterfinal series against Buffalo, Montreal won the first three games before the Sabres managed to retaliate, winning game four 5-1 in front of hometown fans. After an overtime win at the Forum, the Habs closed things out with a 4-2 win in Buffalo.

Coached by Fred Shero and aptly nicknamed the “Broad Street Bullies”, the Philadelphia Flyers led the NHL in penalty minutes but they could also put the puck in net with great efficiency. Rick MacLeish potted 50 while Bobby Clarke, their scrappy leader, ended the season with 104 points.

Splitting the first two games in Montreal, the series was tied at one apiece when they travelled to Philadelphia. Limiting the home side to a goal in each of the next pair, 2-1 and 4-1 victories at the Spectrum, the Habs put an end to Philly’s hopes with a 5-3 win in the Game 5.

Defense and goaltending carried Montreal to the Finals but it took scoring to get past the Chicago Blackhawks. Only two of the six games in the Stanley Cup Finals were relatively low-scoring affairs as the teams combined for 56 total goals.

Setting the tone in the opening match, Montreal was victorious in an 8-3 drubbing of the visiting Blackhawks. Dryden then limited Chicago to a single goal in a 4-1 Habs victory before having a difficult third game in Chicago, allowing seven pucks to find the mesh while Montreal could only muster four goals.

Game 4 went in Montreal’s favor as Dryden posted his only shutout of the spring in a 4-0 win before a game five scoring frenzy led to a total of fifteen goals. Eight of them were posted by Chicago, forcing a sixth game back at the Spectrum.

A third period marker from Yvan Cournoyer helped the Canadiens capture the 18th Stanley Cup title in team history. The Roadrunner, who led all postseason scorers with 15 goals and 25 points, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.