Gallagher on Price: 'He's the best I've ever seen'

TORONTO - The Canadiens advanced to the second round with a 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena.

SHOP: CHic Playoff Line
Following the contest, forwards Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault, goaltender Carey Price, and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Gallagher on Price's outstanding play in the series:
I can't tell you what it's like playing in front of him. As soon as I saw the puck go in and we gave him one goal, it was almost like we knew it was going to be enough. It's just so easy playing in front of him because you know he's there to bail you out. Obviously, we had to keep playing, but it's a different level of confidence when you have Pricey back there, especially in these elimination games. He's the best I've ever seen. It's pretty nice to play in front of him.

Gallagher on Danault being a difference-maker for the Canadiens:
I hope everyone realizes how important Phil is and how good of a series he had. I talked about Matthews and Marner and how difficult they are to play against, Phil had that matchup in the series. We've got Pricey back there and we've got Petey and Webby and Eddy going up against them, but Phil is equally as big in that. The responsibility that we put on him, especially with the young guys up the middle, the matchups he gets, I just have so much respect for Phil and what he's able to do. I love playing with him. He stepped up for us. He enjoyed the challenge. I know he realizes, and I hope everyone else does, just how important he was to us in the series.

Danault on his emotions after eliminating Toronto on road ice:
I'm really happy and proud of the guys. Everybody did great work. We followed the game plan. It was special. It's a feeling that I want to experience again during the next series. It wasn't easy to battle back from a 3-1 series deficit. We showed a lot of character. What a series!

Danault on beginning the second round on a three-game winning streak:
It's always a question of momentum in the playoffs. Our power play worked. We're heading in the right direction. The guys are happy, but they aren't satisfied. It's a huge win. We'll enjoy this tonight, but we're focusing on the Jets starting on Tuesday.

Price on the team's overall performance in Game 7:
This is the best team game that we played this season.

Price on the remarkable work of the Habs' defensemen during the series:
Those guys are warriors. They're big and mean and poised with the puck. They did an excellent job.

Ducharme on why the Canadiens ultimately won the series:
Carey was very solid. He was excellent. As a group, we showed a lot of resilience and character when we were down 3-1 in the series. We scored big goals at the right time. I think this was our best game. We deserved to win this game.

Ducharme on turning the attention to beating the Jets now:
We need to appreciate this moment. We'll have a day in Winnipeg to rest and prepare. It can go either way. We have momentum, but we're playing against a team that is well-rested. There's an advantage and a disadvantage to that. We'll prepare for Wednesday's game, but enjoy this moment as well.