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Pre-Game Talk: 2025 Playoff Round 1 - Game #1 : Montreal at Washington. Monday April 21st

Who wins game #1 ?

  • Montreal

    Votes: 149 62.6%

  • Washington

    Votes: 89 37.4%
  • Total voters
    238
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HuGo Burner Acc said:
If the habs want a chance at making this a series, it starts on the PP for me. MSL needs to realize that Laine is holding it down. Take him off PP1 slide Caufield on the half wall. Put Demidov on the other half wall. Stick Suzuki as a right shot in the bumper and slaf in as a net front. Recreate the Tampa diamond. It's really not that hard
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We'll see which Laine shows up in the playoffs. It's common for players to look very different in the playoffs than they did finishing the reg season.
 
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HabbyGuy said:
Such a incredibly unbelievable season the boys have had. A rollercoaster like none other, we had some of the lowest of lows and also the highest of highs. The journey this team has endured this season to get to where we are now is remarkable, the youngest team in NHL history to make it into the postseason, despite the huge adversities it had to overcome. I don't know how they did this with basically no 2nd line for an entire season, and one of the greenest D's in the league.

It's because of these things, that when put into context, I found it so disheartening listening to the negative rhetoric around here by many. This team deserved all the credit in the world for doing the highly improbable, but I digress. Water under the bridge now I suppose.

I don't expect we'll get very far in these playoffs, but it doesn't matter much, what they've done already is already an amazing accomplishment. But then again, this team has defied all logic all season and are now playing with house money. The dogiest of underdogs with absolutely no pressure or expectation. All of this is gravy and will be of great experience for this team going forward.

I think the habs will stun the Capitals in the 1st game on Monday and take the opener, after that all bets are off. There truly is something magical about the habs and the playoffs, we've seen it time and again. We shall see how this time plays out.

So proud of our team! Go Habs!!
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I think the stun will take place in game 2. This team, and the circumstances of their first round opponent, reminds me of the 1971 first round series between Montreal and Boston. After Montreal had missed the playoffs in 1970, they earned the right to face the power house Boston Bruins, the then defending Stanley Cup champions, in 1971 who boasted a line up of Orr, Esposito, Sanderson, Hodge, etc. No one gave the Canadiens a chance. The question was whether the Canadiens could keep the score close, or would it be a complete embarrassment.

The Canadiens of 1971, remind me a bit of the current team. It was a team built around a core of great veteran leadership (Beliveau, Richard, Frank Mahovlich, and Ferguson); a group of players in their prime (J.C. Trembly, Peter Mahovlich, Terry Harper, Laperriere, Lemaire, Larose and Cournoyer, and a supportive cast of young / rookie players (Houle, Tardif, Lapointe, Dryden, Roberto, Bouchard).

The fans, like this year, were ecstatic that the team made the playoffs. Anything more would be a surprise bonus. The expectations were low. If almost a resigned acceptance that the end of the road was near. In Game one, played in Boston, the Canadiens, though losing 3-1, surprisingly to many held their own. Particularly, the younger players like Houle, Tardif and Lapointe competed hard. They were noticeable. They could skate with, even outskate many of the Bruins players. They showed both the fans and themselves that they could compete. Then came game 2, which in this writer's opinion ( a fan of the Canadiens and hockey in general for almost seventy years) was the greatest game this team ever played. After falling behind 5 to 1 by the middle of the game, the Canadiens unbelievably came back ( led by Beliveau, Richard, Ferguson and Frank Mahovlich) and won 7-5. It stunned the Boston fans and more importantly shocked the Bruins players who had, as they say, begun to believe in their invincibility.

The key point was the battle the Canadiens had put up in Game 1 of that series more than a half a century ago. If Montreal can do the same against Washington ( a team that I am not all that impressed with) , it will provide this very young team with an important dosage of confidence that they have the ability to compete. And if they play like they can compete: then anything is possible.

While there are no Beliveaus, Richards or Fergusons in the dressing room this time around , the Canadiens have enough young leadership (Suzuki, Matheson and Savard ) to calm the young players down and give them confidence. Play hard, play fast, play smart and they can beat Washington.
 
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Runner77 said:
Why does it always have to come to that point — the coach knows better than anyone what the playoffs entail and how even marginal players can become dominant as refs put away their whistles as they’ve always done this time of year.

You only need look at Washington’s lineup to see what they’ll do. Why react after the first game when the coach can be proactive and meet incoming fire? And I’m not talking fights but physicality, winning board battles, clearing the front of the net, giving pushback to opponents who take liberties.

I have never seen MSL be particularly concerned with that part of the game. Have you?
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Nope. He doesn’t seem to believe in it. Most of the newer generation coaches don’t. A guy like Cooper, as an example, was never a big fan of those.
 
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dinodebino said:
Nope. He doesn’t seem to believe in it. Most of the newer generation coaches don’t. A guy like Cooper, as an example, was never a big fan of those.
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...this is one of my major issues with MSL; he doesn't seem to even attempt to match physicality at all...and it's not like we don't have the horses to do so...
 
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dinodebino said:
After ‘la game dans la game’, a new gem from MSL today: ‘faut pas que tu sois un thermomètre mais plus un thermostat’ en série.
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:huh:

Thermostat are regulation devices, so that's probably about doing more micromanaging, but thermometer? Is he saying he was just checking the "temperature" during the season...
 
ahmedou said:
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Yeah, we need him along the RW boards. Cole / Suzuki can't one-time from there, which is why Suzuki and Hutson have been switching a lot with Suzuki at the point & Hutson on the RW boards. Hutson's one-timer has improved a lot but it isn't elite or anything. He's also hesitatant to use it, so players can play the pass option when he's there.

You need to have someone there whose shot needs to be respected. First time on the #1 PP Demidov needs to one-time it past a defenseman's ear, then they'll have to cover it.

Ideally, you want Slafkovsky at net, Demidov at RW boards, Hutson & Suzuki up top & one of Caufield/Laine along the LW boards. We don't need both. Caufield's faster, more willing to change up positions, and gets to the net more, so I'd probably go with him. Laine has the crazy elite perimeter shot, but not much else.
 
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Rumor has it Carey Price has been working out in secret, for Game 1 the Habs will have a guy skating around in warmups with a sheet over him to hide his identity. Just before puck drop, Price will reveal himself and take the net for Game 1. Habs will score 9 goals in 4 games and sweep the Caps. (e5) :sarcasm:
 
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2010-2025

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