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Gut check time

What is evident from these stats is that Montreal’s defence hasn’t been the engine that it was during the first two rounds (chart on the right) The Suzuki line is our only offensive line that is pushing into elite territory but they are really on the border. Carolina is getting outstanding contributions from a couple of their Dmen and their offensive team is overall contributing more Habs need to rediscover their elite transition game and find a way to counter Carolina’s breakout with a hard forecheck GO HABS GO

Nope, not giving this last game any time to marinate and sink in for us fans. The Montreal Canadiens find themselves heading back home for game 3 with a series split tied at 1-1. The Habs have yet to lose back to back games in the playoffs and seeing as I will be in attendance for my 3rd game of the playoffs, one in each series, I’m hoping for a repeat of our last home playoff win, a 6-2 victory over the Sabres which I was also in attendance. Monday’s matchup Carolina Hurricanes @ Montreal Canadiens - Monday, May 25th, 2026 @ 8:00PM EST- Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Evans - Demidov Texier - Danault - Anderson Bolduc - Kapanen - Dach Matheson - Dobson Struble - Hutson Guhle - Carrier Dobeš Fowler Carolina Hurricanes Lineup Svechnikov - Aho - Jarvis Hall - Stankoven - Blake Ehlers - Staal - Martinook Carrier - Jankowski - Robinson Slavin - Chatfield Miller - Walker Gostisbehere - Nikishin Anderson Bussi Storyline: Moving beyond the fact that the Habs and Hurricanes have had a little bit of an off ice rivalry in the recent past with the offer sheet battle involving Aho & Kotkaniemi, the Habs and hurricanes have also had an on ice rivalry over the past few decades with the Hurricanes beating the Habs en route to their last Stanley Cup championship in 2006. In 2006, the Habs held a 2-0 series lead before the Hurricanes stormed back and won 4 consecutive games to win the series. Good thing the Habs didn’t win game 2 and go up 2-0 in this series then, correct? Well not so fast. In their previous playoff meeting in 2002, the Habs went up 2-1 in the series, before once again losing the series in 6 games. The Hurricanes also made the cup final that year. Let’s hope this series turns out to be a lot more like the Canadiens - Whalers rivalry, where the Habs won all 5 series they ever played. In present time, we have two fairly similar teams in a head to head battle trying to become the team to represent their city in the Stanley Cup Final. On one hand, we have an extremely young team in the Montreal Canadiens. On the other end of things, they are facing a team who has been here a few times recently but have not had any success in the round they find themselves in. What’s better in this scenario? Inexperience, or negative experience? We have a goaltending battle featuring a rookie goaltender who has played a huge role in his team’s playoff success against a veteran goalie who has a high ceiling but low floor. Personally I was worried about facing Anderson heading into this series because I feel as though when he is on, he can be a great goaltender. However, this has not yet come to fruition this series and I feel confident that the Habs will have success against him in the upcoming game. Another key has to be the Habs and their start to the game. The Habs are a resilient squad and they once again showed great fight in coming back in games 1 and 2 of this series. With that said, they have to defend better at the beginning of games and while Dobeš has been strong for us, he has let in a goal on the first shot 4 times these playoffs. This has to change and here’s to hoping this won’t happen even one more time, despite the Habs continuing a long playoff run. The Habs have played 3 games in a row on the road. It’s time to come back to our barn, light the rink on fire and win game 3 of the series. The Habs are now 4-1 against the Hurricanes this season. Time to go 4-1 in the series.

Who will Phil pick tomorrow night?

From generation to generation to generation See you Saturday old friend to pass that torch Lets end this

Game 4 was a bit unusual with the long reviews, the called and uncalled penalties but Montreal was far from outplayed. Only change I would like is to swap Veleno with Texier. Veleno has rounded out a good defensive game so let him excel with Danault. I get that Veleno is with Dach for faceoffs and defensive presence. Texier isn’t a defensive grinder and should play with more skilled guys IMO GO HABS GO

The Bell Centre was packed, emotional and LOUD on Sunday night as the Habs took a second win from the Sabres in a solid team effort. Tonight the bleu blanc et rouge have a chance to get a stranglehold on the second-round series by beating the Sabres for a third consecutive time.

It's time for the Habs' first winning streak of the playoffs. Let's hope the last change and the energy of the Bell Centre power them to take the series lead from the Sabres.

More info to follow ...

70 hours for us to catch our breath

6:00 p.m. Game 7 experience is an important part of "learning to win" ... well here we are

As we enter May, so do the Habs who are playing meaningful hockey during this month for the first time in 5 years. The excitement is palpable and Habs fans are constantly refreshing ticket resale websites, hoping to find a better deal than $500 per ticket. Keep dreaming my friends, as the prices will only continue to rise. Friday’s matchup Tampa Bay Lightning @ Montreal Canadiens - Friday, May 1st, 2026 @ 7:00PM EST- Centre Bell Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Anderson Slafkovský - Evans - Demidov Texier - Dach - Bolduc Newhook - Danault - Gallagher Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Xhekaj - Struble Dobeš Fowler Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup Hagel - Point - Kucherov Gourde - Cirelli - Guentzel Goncalves - James - Bjorkstrand Girgensons - Geekie - Perry Moser - Raddysh McDonagh - Cernak Lilleberg - Crozier Vasilevskiy Johansson Storyline: The Habs enter Friday’s game with the opportunity to clinch their first round 1 playoff series since they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs after being down 1-3 in the series 5 years ago. That same year, they compiled a 13-9-0 record, having defeated Winnipeg 4-0 in round 2 and Vegas in the conference final 4-2, before falling in the final to Tampa Bay in 5 games. This year’s series has been a seesaw battle with each team trading wins throughout the first 5 games. Will the trend continue in game 6? Or will the Habs finally put an end to the trend and finish Tampa Bay off just like they did 12 years ago during Cooper’s first playoff experience? Since 2004, The Habs and Bolts have faced each other 4 times in the playoffs, with the Habs claiming that lone victory. Throughout the series there have been individual playoff storylines. Most recently highlighted by the return of Brendan Gallagher into the lineup who had an immediate impact, as well as Jakub Dobeš’ performance in game 5 and throughout the series. The unlikely trio of Texier, Bolduc and Dach, all of which came into the series as borderline healthy scratch players, have been important to the team’s success. While Demidov has been quiet, Hutson continues to impress. Overall, the Habs have had many players who are contributing to the team’s success and have the possibility to be heroes in game 6. On Tampa’s end, Hagel has been a monster, though the Habs were able to contain him for the first time in game 5. Kucherov is always a threat, and Guentzel has not so quietly continued to have an impact in each and every game, as he rides a 5 game point streak. On the other end of the spectrum, Vasilevskiý hasn’t quite been his usual self throughout the series, despite stopping the Habs on 4 breakaways during the playoffs. With all the individual storylines in place, as of last game, we have seen the importance of coaching and the impact it may have on the outcome of this series. During the second half of last year, the Habs used a lineup built on chemistry. For months, the lines remained intact and we only saw lineup adjustments due to injury, like when Heinemann got hit by a vehicle as a pedestrian in Salt Lake City. When players like Pezzetta were inserted into the lineup, one could really see the difference between our well oiled machine of regulars, and the newly inserted player. This year was similar, however not to the same extent. The Habs have more depth. This season, we did see stretches where players like Slafkovský were moved to the second line, and the last few games of the regular season were used to mix the lineups in order to find alternatives that may work during our playoff run. In game 5, knowing how much Cooper loves his matchups, the blender came out and Tampa Bay’s players had to face new matchups that they weren’t accustomed to. In addition, it looked as though the Habs players all had chemistry, regardless of who they played with. While fans were still able to identify certain combinations that they didn’t like, the result was more meaningful as the Habs came out with the victory. One example where fans were quick to chime in was the use of Josh Anderson on the top line. While it wouldn’t have been my first choice to use him in that position, I have no problem with the Habs at least trying to use Anderson in a Tom Wilson role, where the talent clearly isn’t at the level of an Ovechkin, but he does have the ability to produce points and more importantly be quite physical, with the hopes of opening up more space for the star players on the line which can allow them to perform. In addition, St. Louis often double shifted Suzuki, so it wasn’t the only line combination for our star player. While things may change for game 6, I also do not believe that 1 game is enough to declare it a failed experiment. Turning the page on to game 6, the Habs will need their best effort of the series in order to finish Tampa Bay off. With that being said, if Dobeš can continue to outperform Vasilevskiy, the Habs have a great chance to end the series as they have been the better team overall throughout. Here’s to looking forward to a rocking crowd, a valiant effort and a positive outcome in our next game. The Habs can continue to prove the doubters wrong as they did in game 5 and transition from a “young team that is learning a lot” to an eastern threat with cup aspirations. Go Habs Go! Let the game begin.

The last time I made a game day thread, the date was April 28th, 2025 and we were setting out to play game 5 versus the Washington Capitals on April 30th, 2025. Fast forward just about one year later, and here we are once again playing game 5 of a round 1 series, albeit under somewhat different circumstances. Entering last year’s game, the Habs were down in the series 1-3 and while they fought hard, they ended up losing the series in 5 games. The Habs have already guaranteed a longer series this time around, and there is the potential for a lot more moving forward. After being in attendance last night, while the game didn’t go our way, I’m not ready for playoff hockey to be over and am rooting for us to continue our journey. Wednesday’s Matchup Montreal Canadiens @ Tampa Bay Lightning - Wednesday, April 29th @ 7:00PM - Benchmark International Arena Montreal Canadiens Lineup Caufield - Suzuki - Slafkovský Newhook - Kapanen - Demidov Texier - Dach - Bolduc Evans - Danault - Anderson Matheson - Carrier Guhle - Hutson Xhekaj - Struble Dobeš Fowler Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup Hagel - Point - Kucherov Gourde - Cirelli - Guentzel Bjorkstrand - James - Goncalves Perry - Girgensons - Paul Moser - Raddysh McDonagh - Cernak Lilleberg - Crozier Vasilevskiy Johansson Storyline: One of the main storylines heading into this game is how close the series has been. While anything can happen, it wouldn’t be hard to predict that this game will once again end by a 1 goal margin. The teams have played 3 overtime games, and the other game was settled once again by 1 goal. Despite the Habs having taken a 2 goal lead last game, Tampa clawed their way back, after scoring their first goal with less than 1 minute left in the second period. The entire year, and in fact the past couple of years, the Habs have found themselves playing a lot of close games. The good news is that one can never count them out. They have come from behind quite often. The bad news is that it seems as though it is difficult for them to pull away even when they have a few goal lead. The two games that started prior to the Habs’ game yesterday saw Buffalo win 6-1, as well as Colorado eliminating the Kings by a score of 5-1. While Tampa is a good team and it’s not going to be easy to demolish them, it feels as though consistently playing in close games will eventually come back to bite the Habs, because instead of having an 80%+ chance to win, with a 4 goal lead, they often find themselves in 50-50 contests. It will be hard to get 16 wins in such a manner. Hopefully the Habs can find another gear and start spreading themselves from the competition when given an opportunity. Another storyline will be whether or not any lineup changes are made. Whether it is fans suggesting that Gallagher or Veleno should be inserted in the lineup, or people asking to shuffle the lines (mostly the top 2 lines) almost everyone has requested that something be changed. Cooper has made more changes than St. Louis and one could argue that the changes have paid dividends. After each loss, the losing team has battled back the following game, and in Tampa’s case, much of this can be due to the adjustments they have made. I am not sure that I personally see much being changed next game, but I can see why people would want this to be the case. Personally, I’d like to see both Dobson and Gallagher in the lineup at some point, but health may play a role as to whether or not they will be inserted in both cases. Gallagher may need an injury to occur in order to be inserted, and Dobson will need to heal. The final reason that they may be inserted, or anyone new for that matter would be because we are losing the series for the first time. Will patience pay off, or will it be too late once we actually do make changes? Similarly, the type of series we have seen between games 1 and 2 as well as 3 and 4 have been quite different. While there has still been physical play, the scrums have reduced a lot. It’s almost as though Cooper didn’t want to get the crowd into the games by having these scrums, as well as by taking undisciplined penalties. In that sense, a lot of the series is being played on Tampa Bay’s terms, when it comes to matchups, as well as stylistic choice of play. Finally, standouts within the series start and end with Hagel. The Habs have had some good moments from players such as Anderson, Dach, and Slafkovksý, however Hagel has brought his “A” game each game of the series. This reality is perhaps why some people would like to juggle the top 2 lines, as neither line have been dominant throughout the series, though certain players on those lines have had a respectable playoff thus far. Goaltending has been somewhat of a wash and Kucherov while good has not been Tampa Bay’s number one threat which makes this series winnable. Let’s hope for a good contest, and a productive rest of the series from the Habs. Go Habs Go!

Three games, three overtimes We need Dach, Texier, Bolduc to be just as effective. What a great and ballsy move by St. Louis Dobes hasn’t been perfect but he has consistently made 10 bell saves at key times. Dobes is dialed in Habs PP needs work but the PK has been pretty good. Still Montreal would do well to stop taking so many penalties Even if Tampa players are expert divers GO HABS GO

The Canadiens are not scheduled for a morning skate on Tuesday. For the full official lineup, check back on the team’s social accounts on Instagram, Facebook and X closer to puck drop. But I'll go waaaaaaay out on a limb and predict, barring injuries, no chnages

Slafkovsky has been throwing blind passes all season long. Well this one cost the team big time Perhaps this mistake will cause permanent change - learning through experience and consequences Dach sometimes shows blazing skill and heavy physical play but it’s very inconsistent and the constant injuries are certainly involved. I don’t expect Marty to sit him Anderson not at practice today and I’m not surprised - he has been a savage beast and his body must be sore as hell Still I expect Powerhorse to play a key role Go Habs Go

Simple worked Sunday ... 🤞

Some interesting line changes were made for Tuesday’s game and I think we will see them again. Perhaps changes to the 3rd pairing Dmen if Guhle is good to go Those line changes didn’t change the fact that Montreal played like crap again. Habs were saved by exceptional goaltending again One thing is for certain, Ivan Demidov is a joy to watch and this is his rookie season - imagine 3-4 years from now Holy F*** Suzuki line hasn’t had a dominant game in a while and the 50 goals is becoming a distraction. Please score the magic goal

6:00 p.m. Eastern Time ... adjust accordingly if you live outside "God's Country" - 😜

Montreal Canadiens will play game 80 while pushing for first place and a push for personal milestones INCREDIBLE I think Dobes likely starts with Fowler getting Sunday but who Knows Marty messed around with the lines again against Tampa so we will see what he tries against Columbus. No matter what St. Louis does with the lines you can bet that these guys will lead the team GO HABS GO

Tough home loss on Sunday but Montreal has been deadly lately I really hope a major milestone happens on Tuesday because I worry things will become a distraction I expect Dobes in net Go Habs Go Hopefully we don’t see this Marty against Florida

50?

Just Do It