Series Talk: [M1] Washington Capitals vs [WC2] Montreal Canadiens (WAS Leads 2-0)

[CDN24]

This will come down to Logan Thompson's health. With Thompson this year the Caps are one of the best if not the best team in the league. Without him they and the Habs are a coin toss

 

[Sasha Orlov]

Habs take 2 steps back next season.

Nah they’re not Vancouver

 

[CzarDemidov]

Yeah, that makes sense. Somewhat ironically, the Habs are last year’s Caps. Both teams finished with 91 points, both teams overachieved and made the playoffs when no one picked them to do so, both teams had to play playoff hockey for the last two months of the season to get in, both teams had a negative goal differential and were carried by great goaltending by a former castaway goaltender. The Caps looked cooked in the first round against the Rangers and clearly blew their load just getting there, it’ll be interesting to see if Montreal looks the same… which I hope they do, but obviously I’m biased!

This is how it’ll likely play out but I hope the Habs keep the Caps honest and make them earn the series.

It has been a great season for a super young team.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

No Thompson hurts the Caps. Lindgren has fallen back to earth.

Caps will outplay the Habs all series long, probably doubling them in shots for half the games, but the goaltending will be too much to overcome.

 

[Canadienna]

This might not be the best thread to ask but the playoff race thread was locked.

There's a "factoid" going around twitter that claims the Habs are the youngest team in NHL history to make the playoffs. Anyone know of a website to check this?

 

[Wayfarer13]

The Habs have really struggled the last 5 games. Vs Chicago and Carolina in particular, you could really tell the pressure was weighing on them. Now that they are in, the pressure is completely relieved. It’s all gravy from here. The season is already a resounding success for the franchise.

So my guess is one of two things will happen.

1. The Habs really are out of gas. Sub par play continues and this is a very short series. Washington in a sweep or 5 games.

2. The Habs show up relaxed and re-set. In this case, I could easily see them pushing this to 6 or 7 games with a decent chance at pulling off the upset.

The thing is they now have a bit of time to recharge

 

[Gil Gunderson]

The thing is they now have a bit of time to recharge

Tbh in most Habs games I've seen them win since December they've been heavily outplayed and came out with the win or OTL at the very least. I think their goaltending has been solid and the forwards have been very opportunistic.

If there's one series where I think an upset will happen, it's this one. The Habs might not even need to play well to score a few on Lindgren. This could easily be 2010 all over again.

Is Thompson even skating right now?

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I keep reading that the Caps are “flawed”.

Can anyone fill me in in these obvious “flaws”?

They’re too 10 in every conceivable stat. Sure they’ve had a skid recently but they’d hardly be the first team to rest starters, look like shit, and be fine in the playoffs.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Tbh in most Habs games I've seen them win since December they've been heavily outplayed and came out with the win or OTL at the very least. I think their goaltending has been solid and the forwards have been very opportunistic.

If there's one series where I think an upset will happen, it's this one. The Habs might not even need to play well to score a few on Lindgren. This could easily be 2010 all over again.

Is Thompson even skating right now?

He’s traveling with the team, he started skating last week when all the big boys didn’t travel to Columbus.

My tea leaves say he’ll start game one, Protas probably doesn’t appear until game 4-5.

 

[ole ole]

Caps in 5.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Think the Habs can take one at the Bell Centre

Caps in 5

 

[HockeyVirus]

No Thompson hurts the Caps. Lindgren has fallen back to earth.

Caps will outplay the Habs all series long, probably doubling them in shots for half the games, but the goaltending will be too much to overcome.

I see it the opposite way. I think the Habs carry play. They are fast and pesky. But when the Caps gets their chances, Habs D and goaltending is suspect

 

[Summer Rose]

I see it the opposite way. I think the Habs carry play. They are fast and pesky. But when the Caps gets their chances, Habs D and goaltending is suspect

That's kind of how I see it too. Washington doesn't need to carry the play to get their chances though.

 

[InsideLaineBOOM]

Hello again, playoffs!

Go Habs!

Hello right back at you:

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

we have a Wilson

A dumbass kid who loved the Mighty Ducks movies, had a Paul Kariya Teemu Selanne dynamic duo VHS and didn’t realize how tired it would make him as an adult.

I still tell my Dad he could’ve saved me many hours of sleep with some simple brainwashing.

...lol...yeah, my son loved those movies as well, apparently not as much as you did, though...and at least y'all had some of the greats of that Era (Selanne, Kariya, Getzlaf, Perry, Pronger, Niedermayer, etc) and a Cup...

 

[Captain97]

Habs with the upset in 7. They usually seem to pull off some playoff magic when you least expect it. Leafs and Habs in the conference final.

Im not gonna lie, That would be fun

 

[Sasha Orlov]

we have a Wilson

Josh Anderson already beat the brakes off him, better get a new one

 

[Habssince89]

we have a Wilson

Is he going to get his ass beat again by Anderson? Or will Xhekaj do it?

 

[Wayfarer13]

I keep seeing that bullshit narrative like the one above.

A team's playoffs performance is not determined by the last two games of the season.

You could say Habs are young, inexperienced and flawed defensively, you'd have more relevant arguments.

Forgets the streek where they bumping off cup champions

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Josh Anderson already beat the brakes off him, better get a new one

 

[domiwroze]

I'm hoping to find tickets under 500$ for game 3.

If we come back from WSH with a 1-1 tie, the city will be buzzing and the building will go berserk before puck drop. I missed the 24th of June in 2021, i'm not missing it again.

MTL IN 6 LETS FK GO

 

[Coldnwindy]

I keep reading that the Caps are “flawed”.

Can anyone fill me in in these obvious “flaws”?

They’re too 10 in every conceivable stat. Sure they’ve had a skid recently but they’d hardly be the first team to rest starters, look like shit, and be fine in the playoffs.

It's just a big circlejerk of nonexistent narratives. Nothing new from what's been said about the Caps since the end of last offseason.

 

[Block]

The Caps did walk all over the Habs in that one, Montreal just got probably the best individual goaltending performance in a series ever. I am 100% willing to concede that if Montembault plays as well as 2010 Halak the Canadiens will probably win the series lol

They also just had no interest in rough Halak up or making it tough on him with traffic. Halak played incredibly well, but they also made it as easy as possible for him ti have that kind of performance.

 

[Neil Racki]

Is he going to get his ass beat again by Anderson? Or will Xhekaj do it?

Tom Wilson effect .. its not his fighting. He kinda sucks at actually fighting imo. Its his non stop hitting and skating.

Props to Anderson, he won. Xhekaj should win too. Those fights after the whistle dont effect the outcome of games.

Tom Wilson effect is he doesnt take shifts off.

He just keeps coming, shift after shift, when the man comes he comes in quarts.

Tom is very noticeable out there.

 

[qcal1427]

They also just had no interest in rough Halak up or making it tough on him with traffic. Halak played incredibly well, but they also made it as easy as possible for him ti have that kind of performance.

They did not make it easy on him at all lol. Also when they did "rough" him up they got an absolutely horrendous incidental contact call against them