What are the Montreal Canadiens’ chances against the Boston Bruins? That’s the question my dad, neighbour, Matt Green — talented Sportsnet Associate Producer and die-hard Canadiens fan — and the entire Habs nation is asking.
Break it down however you want, the Bruins are the odds-on favourites to win. They’re deeper, bigger and more skilled. Frankly, they are built for the playoffs.
It’s interesting that the Bruins will go to Lake Placid between Games 3 and 4 to get away from the hustle and bustle in Montreal because, truth be told, it’s the Canadiens that will need a “Miracle on Ice.”
The Habs simply don’t match up well against Boston. They might have a better power play and penalty kill, but it’s not even close when the teams are 5-on-5.
I’m reminded of the Game 7 upset in Pittsburgh last season. A dejected Sidney Crosby told the media he had never seen a team sit back as much as Montreal … and win.
Though Montreal is much sounder, systematically speaking, this year, there are still a lot of holes in their game. Too often they rely on Carey Price. Worst of all, they take too many nights off. The enigmatic nature of the club is perplexing and troublesome.
I don’t have a crystal ball and I’m horrible at making predictions but I don’t have a good feeling about this series simply because of inexplicable observations. The body language is all wrong. The players don’t seem tense. They don’t seem scared. They definitely don’t appear to be intimidated. But they’re not exactly exuding confidence either.
My sense is the Canadiens will give it their all Thursday night in Boston and see how they’ll measure up; see where they stand; see if there’s any magic left over from last year.
But is there still that desire to sacrifice? Is the group still willing to lay it all on the line like they did one year ago?
There is no reason to doubt the team or the proud athletes that wear the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge jersey every night. What they accomplished this season under difficult conditions (several key injuries) is commendable. But it just looks like the tank is almost dry.
So many players were overused or are nicked up. There are too many question marks facing the Habs: where will the scoring come from? How can they possibly withstand the banging and bruising Bruins? Can the third and fourth lines alleviate pressure from the top six forwards? Will Scott Gomez turn a horrendous regular season into a glorious playoffs? Will Benoit Pouliot end his disappearing act? Can Roman Hamrlik still be as effective? Can the Hal Gill-P.K. Subban tandem shut down Milan Lucic, David Kreijci and Nathan Horton? Will it take a Halak-like performance from Carey Price to give his team a chance? Will Mike Cammalleri re-discover his playoff form?
“People keep saying that we did something amazing last year and that kind of irritates me to be honest,” Cammalleri said. “It was great to engage Habs Nation and win a couple of rounds but as an athlete you only get a couple of cracks at it. We didn’t accomplish anything last year. We didn’t win the Stanley Cup. It was good, but wasn’t great.”
So the mission is to make it a great finish and the first step comes against archrival Boston. It’s a monumental task. The players to a man will tell you, despite all the questions marks, it’s not an impossible one.