Round One: Montreal @ Boston

should be a rough and tumble series, which is not good for Montreal as they are hurting all ready, Boston is going to be looking to embarrass this team as they are now the favourites, anything more than 5 games will be a miracle for Montreal, they just don't cut it against these Killer B's

davetherave wrote:One: Bob Gainey. These are not Carbo's Cuties. The players believe in what he says, and Gainey knows more about winning hockey games the ugly way than both teams put together.

Gainey can only do so much. It's not in the character of the players on the team to win ugly. They're a team whose bread and butter is in clever passing and now they've lost their best initiator of that in Markov. Against Boston's blue-line of behemoths, the only way they'll be able to survive IMO is by beating them with speed and skill, and that's harder to pull off in the playoffs.

SensFan71 wrote:should be a rough and tumble series, which is not good for Montreal as they are hurting all ready, Boston is going to be looking to embarrass this team as they are now the favourites, anything more than 5 games will be a miracle for Montreal, they just don't cut it against these Killer B's

A delegation has already been sent to the Oratoire Saint Joseph asking for a miracle LOL...

Seriously, when was the last time a Montreal-Boston playoff series went less than six games?

Answer: 1992.

Since then, the teams have met four times, and each series has gone at least six games, with three going the distance.

For your information and amusement:

http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Boston_Bruins-Montreal_Canadiens_playoff_series

Far from your average playoff matchup.
cool)

And remember, the Bruins have to win in Le Centre Bell if they want to finish this in less than seven. Not an easy task.

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:should be a rough and tumble series, which is not good for Montreal as they are hurting all ready, Boston is going to be looking to embarrass this team as they are now the favourites, anything more than 5 games will be a miracle for Montreal, they just don't cut it against these Killer B's

A delegation has already been sent to the Oratoire Saint Joseph asking for a miracle LOL...

Seriously, when was the last time a Montreal-Boston playoff series went less than six games?

Answer: 1992.

Since then, the teams have met four times, and each series has gone at least six games, with three going the distance.

For your information and amusement:

http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Boston_Bruins-Montreal_Canadiens_playoff_series

Far from your average playoff matchup.
cool)

And remember, the Bruins have to win in Le Centre Bell if they want to finish this in less than seven. Not an easy task.

I was going to try and refute that statement with results from this year (yes they are not playoff games, but Montreal is not a healthy team)

The first two games were close and could have gone either way, but Boston played to a 2-0-1 record at the Bell Centre this season, not shabby at all.
4-3 SO Loss
3-2 SO Win
3-1 Reg Win

If not for Carey Price, Boston would have won last year's series in 6...

marakh wrote:If not for Carey Price, Boston would have won last year's series in 6...

much different Carey Price this year, that can be seen very clearly, his confidence is shaken most games and he just does not seem prepared to handle the pressure.

SensFan71 wrote:

marakh wrote:If not for Carey Price, Boston would have won last year's series in 6...

much different Carey Price this year, that can be seen very clearly, his confidence is shaken most games and he just does not seem prepared to handle the pressure.

IMHO the biggest difference between this year's Canadiens and the team going into the playoffs is Bob Gainey.

Coaching is more important than many realize, especially in the playoffs.

Gainey has a much better handle on the team than Carbo did. They play with more discipline and more intensity.

Beating the Bruins over the course of the series, though, would be a miracle.

davetherave wrote:

SensFan71 wrote:should be a rough and tumble series, which is not good for Montreal as they are hurting all ready, Boston is going to be looking to embarrass this team as they are now the favourites, anything more than 5 games will be a miracle for Montreal, they just don't cut it against these Killer B's

A delegation has already been sent to the Oratoire Saint Joseph asking for a miracle LOL...

Seriously, when was the last time a Montreal-Boston playoff series went less than six games?

Answer: 1992.

Since then, the teams have met four times, and each series has gone at least six games, with three going the distance.

For your information and amusement:

http://icehockey.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Boston_Bruins-Montreal_Canadiens_playoff_series

Far from your average playoff matchup.
cool)

And remember, the Bruins have to win in Le Centre Bell if they want to finish this in less than seven. Not an easy task.

au contraire. quite easy when the fans are signing OLE and inspiring the opposition.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

davetherave wrote:
And remember, the Bruins have to win in Le Centre Bell if they want to finish this in less than seven. Not an easy task.

au contraire. quite easy when the fans are singing OLE and inspiring the opposition.

On verra bien!
cool)

Reminds me of when I saw a Bruins-Habs playoff game in the Forum...hmmm...more than twenty five years ago...Bruins won 4-2 behind a spectacular goal by Bobby Orr against Ken Dryden.

Does Montreal ever remind me of Ottawa last year.

There will be a couple of close games, but Bruins in 4.

OLE!

“We don’t have to beat [the Bruins], we need to win a game. We need to get into the series, and we need to get in with Game 1,” head coach Bob Gainey said in his customary measured tones. “I don’t have to think about how we beat them four times, how do we beat them once? We’re in eighth place, we may not like how our season unfolded. … We were in eighth place by the skin of our teeth, we’re going to have to play from that role, that’s what we are, that’s who we are.”

--Toronto Globe & Mail, Monday, April 13

Boston in 5

Boston is 4!!

Trust me, The B's have been PRAYING for this match-up all season long and if they can sweep this 'Centennial' team and their OLE-chanting fans in 4, they'll do it.

Now, having said that, the Hockey Gods have definitely looked fondly on the Habs in the past and they seem to have some special reserve of energy and luck and/or karma that spews forth this time of year, so who knows what will happen.

Judging from the chorus of B's fans out of Boston's local radio stations, their fans are certainly hoping for a quick jugular strike and go for 4!!

Boston may relish this matchup a little too much. If they were praying for this matchup, they were praying for an easy road to the second round.

I think Montreal has the capacity to shock them. I believe it was Dave who made mention of 'les plombiers' the plumbers, or as I like to call them the 'lunchpail gang'. They will play a factor in this series.

If this series makes it to 7, I'll pick Montreal. Even Montreal in 6. Overconfidence and under appreciation for your opponent can be deadly.

Boston has a big monkey to get off their back so they'll be up for this series like no tomorrow.

While I see your point Bee, my personal bias aside, I think the Habs are DONE.

Fact is, they will NOT be the same team next year, with SO many UFA's and RFA's to deal with, not to mention, how do you ignore the fact that your team is for sale?!

I'm not saying Boston is taking the Habs lightly, but with Thomas playing soundly and Julien's coaching once again shinning, it certainly goes without saying that spoiler or not, Montreal has a LOT of work ahead of them.

Cronie wrote:While I see your point Bee, my personal bias aside, I think the Habs are DONE.

Fact is, they will NOT be the same team next year, with SO many UFA's and RFA's to deal with, not to mention, how do you ignore the fact that your team is for sale?!

I'm not saying Boston is taking the Habs lightly, but with Thomas playing soundly and Julien's coaching once again shinning, it certainly goes without saying that spoiler or not, Montreal has a LOT of work ahead of them.

IMHO it's very important to put one's personal bias aside here...if you want you to look at this series realistically.

This is NOT, as I said earlier, "Carbo's Cuties". This is not the arrogant bunch of cruisers who waffled their way through most of the season. This is Gainey's Gang.

Bob Gainey knows EXACTLY what it takes to win, and Gainey knows how to lead. He also holds--as GM--the futures of each of them in his hand.

They know that he knows, and they respect him.

Gainey communicates with his guys...watch him during a game, talking to them.

He knows the odds are stacked against Le Canadien.

And he knows "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog".

It might be a terrier against a grizzly...but it's going to be a battle.

Would hockey fans want anything less? cool)

Very good point DTR, as always.

I'm starting to think that perhaps this series could be an entertaining as my prediction(s) for the Columbus - Detroit one... Komisarek vs. Chara; Gainey vs Julien, Thomas Vs Price or Halak?

Throw in the vintage and nostalgic history and suddenly, the energy and anticipation is incredibly palpable.