Apr 19 The Game Was Lost Before It Even Started

"I think it all started in the morning skate. We were fooling around too much." - Carey Price

That was explanation the Canadiens' all-star goaltender gave in the immediate aftermath of the Habs' 3-2 loss to the Bruins last night and it goes a long way in explaining just why the team came out so inexcusably flat in the first half of the game. It wasn't just Price playing Monday morning quarterback, Michael Cammalleri alluded to the same thing prior to game time yesterday afternoon and added that coach Jacques Martin was quick to reprimand the team for having such a loose attitude towards the morning skate.

But why was there so much "fooling around" at a morning skate just hours prior to a golden opportunity to stomp on the throats of their hated rival in front of 21,273 of their most rabid fans? Surely there is enough leadership in that locker room to know better than to take ANY playoff game lightly. Surely Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, Brent Sopel, Hal Gill and Travis Moen, with their combined six Stanley Cups, know what kind of mental attitude it takes day in and day out during the playoffs to be the last team standing. Was the loose attitude the team's attempt at keeping their emotions in check that would surely be brought on by the legendary atmosphere created by the home crowd?

The pessimist in me says that a team that doesn't properly recognize the situation they were in enough to not be mentally ready for it raises serious red flags. The optimist in me says that the young players on the team learned a valuable lesson that sometimes, a game can be lost even before the first puck is dropped. A lesson that was reinforced to the veterans on the team. A lesson that the entire team recognized about half way through the game. A lesson that won't need to be learned again any time soon.

Going into the game, I had my doubts as to whether the Canadiens would win the game anyway. Fact is, it was impossible for the team to match the desire the Bruins had to win last night, a desire that can only be brought on by facing the reality that you're playing with your season on the line. As the overwhelming underdog going into the series and miraculously taking two games on the road, there was reason to believe at least a certain part of the Habs believed they were playing with house money. This is where the mental part of the playoffs proves to be just as important as the physical part. The mindset the Canadiens were in clearly prevented them from having the same focus they showed in games one and two and as a result, they opened the door for the Bruins to make a series out of this.

I'm not a professional hockey player and never have been but I know enough to know that for the Canadiens, "put your game face on" should be more than just a clever marketing campaign.

About Will Martinez

Will Martinez runs the 'Hey, My Name is Will' blog and is a contributor for TheFranchise.ca. You can follow Will on Twitter @heymynameiswill

Tags: Boston Bruins \ game 3 \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL \ playoffs \ round 1