There’s a saying in baseball: “Momentum is only as good as the next day’s starter.” In baseball, so much can turn on a pitcher that changes every day. Imagine if you had to change your starting goaltender, as an example, every game. You’re one bad outing — maybe even one bad pitch — away from no longer having momentum.
In an NHL playoff series, a lot can change from game to game. Going into Game 2, it was imperative that the Montreal Canadiens put out a strong effort. Not only were they facing a 0-1 deficit, they had just found out that their head coach would be out for the remainder of the series against the Philadelphia Flyers.