The Canadiens won a genuine coin flip — neither side controlled the run of play.
The scoreboard reads 6-2, a blowout. Expected goals settled on 3.32–3.34, nearly even with Utah's edge. The gap between them tells everything about why Montreal won: goaltending collapse and clinical finishing in tight spaces.
S. Montembeault was the story. He saved 1.3 goals above expected with a 0.926 save percentage, converting near-certain Utah chances into stops. K. Vejmelka gave up 2.7 goals more than expected at 0.739, a performance that turned a competitive underlying game into a rout.
Montreal's execution in high-danger situations separated the teams. They converted 3 of 7 attempts (43%), a clinical rate in spaces where games turn. In a game where high-danger chances split 7–3, Montreal made the difference with finishing.
The rush game amplified the gap. Montreal scored 5 on 23 rush chances. Utah scored 2 on 24—nearly identical volume, completely different results. K. Dach's backhander from the doorstep (P3, 19:23) typified Montreal's approach: speed before Utah's structure formed.
Rebound opportunities went similarly. Montreal created 5 and converted 1. Utah created 3 and converted none. In an underlying game this close, that gap—zero versus one—defined the night.
The numbers crystallize it: Montreal overperformed their expected goals by 2.7; Utah underperformed by 1.34. In an evenly-matched underlying game, that gap in execution—not luck—defined the 6-2 result.