Apr 04 Spring in Montreal Brings Playoff Hope

As the snow melts away on the streets of Montreal, the sure signs of spring are beginning to show themselves. Teenagers inexplicably wearing shorts in eight degree weather. Dirty "Please Try Again" Roll Up the Rim cups littering the sidewalks. The scent of manure drifting across the island from John Abbott College. Of course when every new season introduces itself to the city, there's a hockey-related sign. In Montreal, spring brings hope for what the playoffs will bring for the beloved Canadiens. Often times in recent years, fans and followers have been on the edge of their seats wondering if the Habs will squeak into the playoffs. But this year, while it is by no means a foregone conclusion, the Habs being a part of the playoff dance seems all but assured. So that means the big question is, who will the Habs face in the first round? Who should they WANT to face in the first round? As usual, the team will be a decided underdog against anyone they wind up facing but as usual, they have a puncher's chance.

A sixth, seventh or eighth place finish in the Eastern Conference seems quite likely for the Habs this year and that means expectations are a date with one of three teams: the Philadelphia Flyers, the Washington Capitals or the Boston Bruins. Each are different in the challenges they present to our boys but each have one thing in common, they all present a tall task for the Canadiens to overcome. Things aren't as grim as they would appear though. As last spring proved, clichés like "anything can happen in the playoffs" and "the playoffs are the start of a new season" proved to hold a large amount of truth in them. One thing is for sure though, if you're a gambler the smart money is on whoever the Habs face....and that just might be the way they like it. But we all have a preference, a team we think the Canadiens stack up against just a little bit better than the others. So let's size up a potential match-up against either of the three opponents:

Of the three evils that lurk ahead, most people would probably choose the Bruins at the least daunting. Why? Most will point the Habs' 4-2 season record against them. Facing the Habs would be Tim Thomas, arguably the league's best goaltender this season and surely the best of any goaltender the Flyers or Capitals could throw at the Habs. Overall though, the Canadiens seem to have Thomas' number this year as the Bruins net-minder has a rather pedestrian .907 save percentage against Montreal this year. The true challenge against Boston lies in their team's size and physicality. They play a bruising style that has punished and, at times, intimidated Montreal. Where the Canadiens have been successful against Boston has been utilizing their speed and skill and not getting caught up in a physical game against their overwhelmingly larger opponent. It would undoubtedly be an emotional series for both teams given the intensity of the season series and often times, that plays right into the hands of the underdog.

The Capitals will enter the post-season facing serious questions and doubts about their ability to win in the playoffs given their failures after routinely having regular season success. This makes them a dangerous opponent. While every team in the playoffs has something to prove, one would think the Capitals have to prove a little bit extra and with the way they've changed their team's image this year, they seem primed to do so. Bruce Boudreau has reigned in the team's free-wheeling offensive style and applied a more defensive approach, a style that wins in the playoffs and one that his troops have adopted successfully. When the regular season wraps up, the Caps will have scored about 100 fewer goals than they did last year but they also will have allowed over 30 fewer. Their goaltending, once a weakness, has performed remarkably well against Montreal this season posting two shutouts in the four head-to-head match-ups, something that's also a testament to the Caps' effective defensive turnaround. Washington decidedly won the head-to-head match-up with Montreal, winning three of four games. With a more balanced team than the one that was upset by Halak & Co. last spring, the Capitals don't seem like an attractive opponent whatsoever.

Ah Philadelphia, the team that always seems to dump the bucket of water on our fire of post-season excitement and hopes (admit it, you thought I'd say cop cars). The Flyers present forward depth that is unmatched by any team in the NHL, a depth that keeps me going back to CapGeek.com to wonder just how they're able to fit all of those guys under the salary cap. Oh yeah, they're also pretty good on the blue line too. They are seemingly a perfect team. They're big, fast, skilled and with last season's Stanley Cup Finals run, battle-tested. As with Washington, Montreal didn't fare very well against the Flyers during the season also going 1-3. However as is usually the case with Philadelphia, there are doubts in goal. Sergei Bobrovsky has been good though inconsistent all season but with Brian Boucher as their backup, Bob the Goalie presents Philly's most viable option for another post-season run. With Carey Price in nets for Montreal, the Habs overwhelmingly hold the goal-tending advantage in this series on paper at least. Unfortunately, that would be the one area they hold any kind of advantage.

So who do I hope the Habs face-off against in the first round? The Boston Bruins. Like I said earlier, emotion will play a big part in this series and that alone gives the Habs a fighting chance. The Habs know they can beat the Bruins, they've done it four times this year. Washington will be a daunting opponent due to the fact that they have a boat-load of doubters to prove themselves to and Philadelphia will just cause nightmares for our boys. In any case, Carey Price will have to perform within the realm of Jaroslav Halak did last spring to give the team a shot. Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri, among others, will have to be opportunistic and play to the levels they've shown in past post-seasons. This team has seen what Canadiens fans are like when they're filled with hope and excitement and that motivation is one thing they'll have in their corner when the rest of the hockey world bets against them.

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