Being at game three between the Canadiens and the Lighting made one thing very clear: there is finally optimism in Montreal.
Last season, Habs fans dared to dream, only to find themselves in a nightmare in which Craig Anderson and the Senators made quick work of their beloved bleu-blanc-rouge in five games. Two seasons ago, the Canadiens finished dead last in the Eastern Conference. The season before that was the heartbreaking game seven loss in the first round to the eventual Stanley Cup champions (who shall not be named).
I could go on and on, but the point remains that since June of 1993, Canadiens fans have had little to cheer for come playoff time. That was their last trip to the finals, and even that magical run in 2010 was on the coattails of Jaro Halak and Mike Cammalleri (which by the way, was the Habs’ only Conference finals appearance since ’93).
Enter 2014. Enter Marc Bergevin. Enter an entirely new Montreal Canadiens organization. There is a real swagger around the club, from the top down. If you need any proof, watch the reactions from the two general managers from game one of the series. Everyone seems to be having fun and enjoying their time in the post-season.
Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay reinforced that point. Playing in the pressure cooker that is Montreal has never been easy, but suddenly the players seem to be playing to their potential in the playoffs. Suddenly this is a resilient group that can roll with the bad bounces, stick to their game plan and win big games.
The first Tampa goal would have sent Habs teams of the past reeling. Off a weak, equalizer penalty, Palat pounced on a puck that took multiple deflections before finding him in the slot. Rather than hanging their heads or calling out to the ghosts of the Forum, the Canadiens went on pressuring the Lightning’s defenseman and creating chances. You make your own luck, and obviously they got some Sunday night, getting the good side of a borderline no-goal decision. All to say, the Canadiens are working hard, and good things are coming to them.
Goals from all four Montreal lines in game one, a lights-out performance by Price and the defense in game two, and a gritty win in game three. Three completely different games, and in all three the Habs have found a way to win.
Critics would point to Ben Bishop’s health (sports injury alert), and argue that this would be a completely different series. But that would ignore the game play in this series. Montreal has been the better team in every game, winning the possession battle and generating far more scoring chances overall. This is the first Canadiens team that has the capability of going the distance. Anything short of the Conference finals would be considered a failure.
Thomas Vanek adds an elite scoring presence that the Habs have been in desperate need of. That top line, while only contributing two goals thus far, has created chance after chance. Pacioretty scores in bunches, and with the amount of chances he and his line mates are seeing, it’s only a matter of time before they get going.
In the meantime, there is no rush for that top line to get going. All four lines have been rolling, a crucial part of any team that is planning on making a deep run in the playoffs.
PK Subban finally looked comfortable on the ice in game three, highlighted by that fantastic solo effort to set up Brendan Gallagher. Andrei Markov finally had a good game as well, logging over 26 minutes of ice time and blocking nine shots.
It certainly is all coming together at the right time, and the fans can sense it. It was shoulder-to-shoulder outside of the Bell Centre an hour before puck-drop. I’ve been going to Canadiens games on a regular basis, regular season and playoffs, for the past 10 years, and I cannot remember feeling electricity in the building quite like Sunday night.
There’s definitely reason for optimism. Rene Bourque is slowly becoming this year’s Claude Lemieux; a dreadful 16-point season, yet has already scored three clutch goals. None more so than Sunday’s opening goal, which took 11 seconds to pot. As coach Therrien chuckled about after the match, not a bad way to start.
The Canadiens are getting contributions right through their lineup, from Tomas Plekanec to Dale ‘the hero’ Weise and everyone in between. In fact, through three games, there are only three Canadiens who have failed to register a point (Markov, Michael Bournival and Francis Bouillon).
Bergevin’s jigsaw puzzle, which is fitting perfectly right now, has Habs fans daring to dream, and why not? Between the depth up front, the solidity on defense, and the calming presence of Carey Price, there is no reason to believe the Canadiens can’t make a bid for a berth in the finals. And just for fun, the last time the Habs took a 3-0 lead in a playoff series was the Division final against Buffalo in, you guessed it, 1993.
For more on sports injuries, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @jacobcohen94. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
Main Photo:
