It’s a storied rivalry that spans 103 years, dating back to the NHL’s inaugural season in 1917-18.

For the second time ever, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet in a winner-take-all Game 7.

After taking a 3-1 series lead, the Maple Leafs have been pushed to the brink of elimination following back-to-back overtime losses.

Now the pressure is on as Toronto looks to avoid another playoff letdown and clinch its first postseason series win since 2004.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Monday May 31, 2021.

Setting the stage for Game 7

Heading into Game 1, the Canadiens were +240 to win their first-round series with the Maple Leafs.

The Habs won the opener, but looked completely overmatched while managing a total of two goals in three straight losses after that Game 1 win.

Following their Game 4 win to take a 3-1 series lead, Toronto was -3335 to advance – a 97.1 per cent implied win probability.

At the time, it seemed like a fair number. After all, the Maple Leafs never really looked vulnerable at any point during their three straight wins.

Fast forward one week later, and it’s a much different story.

Toronto is still -210 to win Game 7 – the comeback on the Habs is +180.

However, the Maple Leafs are in the midst of the second-longest losing streak all-time in potential series-clinching games at seven in a row.

They’re without their captain and could be without one of their best defencemen tonight.

Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews has one goal in the series. His linemate Mitch Marner has gone 17 straight playoff games without a goal.

Toronto has dropped has dropped four straight winner-take-all games dating back to 2013.

In order for that to change tonight, the Maple Leafs will need their best players to deliver, with the spotlight on Matthews and Marner. Matthews is +100 to score. Marner is +210 to score.

On the flip side, all eyes will be on Carey Price to see if he can stand tall against the Maple Leafs one more time.

Price has stopped 114 of the 120 shots he faced in Montreal’s three series wins for a .950 save percentage.

He’ll need to be at his best again tonight for the Habs to complete the comeback as a +180 underdog.

Here are a few betting trends to keep in mind ahead of Game 7:

-Montreal is 4-2 on the puck line in the series -91 of the 182 all-time Game 7s have been decided by one goal

-Home teams are 106-76 all-time in NHL Game 7s

-The team that scores first is 136-46 all-time in Game 7s

Avs roll over Golden Knights

Nathan MacKinnon scored twice and finished with three points as the Colorado Avalanche (-180) rolled to a 7-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Colorado improved to 5-0 this postseason.

MacKinnon, who remains the Conn Smythe Trophy favourite at +185, became the seventh player in NHL history to score at least eight goals in his first five playoff games in a single postseason.

Gabriel Landeskog had two goals and an assist. Cale Makar had a goal and three assists.

The Avalanche completely overwhelmed the Golden Knights from start to finish.

Colorado’s odds to win the Stanley Cup have shortened from +240 to +175 following the win.

The Avalanche also went from -215 to -500 to win the series.

Lightning strike first versus Hurricanes

Barclay Goodrow delivered the winner as the Tampa Bay Lightning (-110) beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Brayden Point opened the scoring for Tampa Bay with his fifth of the playoffs. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves.

Vasilevskiy is currently +1000 to win the Conn Smythe.

Nikita Kucherov, who is currently the second choice to win the Conn Smythe at +650, picked up an assist in the win.

Lakers lose Game 4, AD injured

The Phoenix Suns (+245) took advantage of an injury to Anthony Davis with a 100-92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 on Sunday.

The Lakers led by one after the first quarter, but were outscored by 17 in the second and third combined.

L.A. was 14-0 in playoff games in which it led after the first quarter over the past two seasons.

Davis, who injured his groin, is currently listed as day-to-day.

It was the lone upset in the NBA on Sunday, as favourites went 3-1 straight up and against the spread, with the Los Angeles Clippers (-3.5), Brooklyn Nets (-8.5) and Atlanta Hawks (-5) all winning and covering.

Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Clippers with a game-high 29 points in a 106-81 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Paul George had 20 points and nine assists.

After rallying with wins in Games 3 and 4 to tie the series at 2-2, the Clippers are now a bigger favourite to win the series than they were heading into the playoffs.

L.A. was -450 to win the series heading into Game 1. Now, the Clippers are a -500 series favourite.

The Mavericks went from +350 to -270, to +375 after letting a 2-0 series lead slip away.

Castroneves wins Indy 500

Helio Castroneves (+3000) won the Indianapolis 500 for the fourth time in his career on Sunday.

One of the oldest drivers in the field at 46, Castroneves became the fourth-oldest winner in Indy 500 history.

His last Indy 500 win was in 2009.

Castroneves joined A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the only four-time Indy 500 winners all-time.

Kokrak wins Charles Schwab Challenge

Jason Kokrak (+4500) rallied to win the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday.

Kokrak edged out Jordan Spieth by two strokes for his second PGA Tour victory of the season.

He joined Bryson DeChambeau and Stewart Cink as the only players on tour to win multiple events this season.

Spieth, who was the leader heading into the final day, fell to 10-for-20 all-time converting as the 54-hole leader in his PGA Tour career.