Apr 17 The Glass Slipper Still Fits

When we all found it was indeed the Boston Bruins that the Habs would draw in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I'm ashamed to admit my first reaction was dread. The thoughts that we won the season series against them and that we can actually take it to them were cast aside. When the team went down and went down HARD to the Bruins on March 24th by a score of 7-0, it left me with a feeling of discouragement that lingered right through the moment the first round match-ups were officially set in stone. Gone was the optimism created by last spring's miraculous run. Gone was the optimism created by a stellar regular season considering the remarkable amount of key injuries suffered by the team. Then the talk ended, the feelings were accepted and rationalized and finally, the puck dropped.

The Habs flew back from Boston last night with the unlikeliest of 2-0 series leads in (dare I say?) recent team history. Unlike last season, they aren't clawing their way back hoping to capitalize on their opponents already writing them off. Unlike last season, there isn't the overwhelming feeling of "just how far can our goaltending take us?". Make no mistake, Carey Price is the primary reason the Habs are in the position they're in. A lone goal allowed in two games and a .985 save percentage in those two games prove that and are starting to cement Price's reputation as the world's best goaltender right now. But you get the sense that there are far fewer passengers in this playoff run as opposed to last spring. There are a significant amount of players in that locker room who can and deserve to be proud of the performances they've put in thus far.

Scott Gomez showed especially in game one exactly why there was at least some logic to the contract Rangers general manager Glen Sather gave him back in 2007. He, along with Brian Gionta, have always shown up and recognized the increased importance of the playoffs. Michael Cammalleri has picked up where his 2010 spring left off scoring the key opening goal a mere 43 seconds into game two that set the tone for the game and left the Bruins bench, coaching staff, fans and management with an obvious feeling of "here we go again". Yannick Weber wrote his own "History Will Be Made" commercial with perhaps the unlikeliest excellent performance we'll see all playoffs. One HUGE goal, three shots, a blocked shot and two hits from a guy who only found him way in the lineup due to Andrei Kostitsyn's foot injury and Jeff Halpern's inability to lace up for the game. Hal Gill and P.K. Subban have delivered performances carved out of the same mold that made the Gill-Josh Gorges tandem legendary last spring. Roman Hamrlik, with a +4 rating through two games, is turning back the clock and silencing critics (myself included) who said he would be burned out by playoff time due to the big minutes played during the regular season. Tom Pyatt, Lars Eller and Ryan White have each embraced their roles as smart, responsible two-way energy players that go against the widespread theory that Jacques Martin can't coach young players.

By no means is the series over. To assume as much would be incredibly foolish as Capitals fans found out last spring after going up three games to one on our boys. The Bruins will step on to the ice of a Bell Centre tomorrow night that will be filled with 21,273 crazed towel-waving, jersey-sporting, painted-faced fans with their season on the line. After a brief celebration in the TD Banknorth Garden, that very thought probably occurred to them before they took off from Logan Airport in Boston and certainly by the time they landed at Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Airport in Montreal. In the end though, you get the sense that things will be just fine for these Montreal Canadiens.

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: habs \ Montreal Canadiens \ NHL \ playoffs

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