2026 Round 3: Habs vs Hurricanes

[tomh009]

Hoping to do one more series thread after this one!

 

[GHT120]

Rest vs Rust ... the eternal debate ... hoping for rust

[tomh009]

The view from the Canes country:

 

[Prime Minister Koivu]

1 hour ago, tomh009 said:

The view from the Canes country:

 

Canes need to be reminded that Montreal beat them twice in the last days of the season 
 

The Sabres criss-cross with puck carrier in our zone is what caused Montreal so much grief

 

Almost extended pick plays that man on man couldn’t deal with

 

We gotta figure that out

[GHT120]

51 minutes ago, Prime Minister Koivu said:

Canes need to be reminded that Montreal beat them twice in the last days of the season 

 

I believe the 'Canes were pretty much settled into top spot in the division and the Habs were still chasing second place, so I prefer to avoid putting too much faith in those wins ... I am very curious to see whether Carolina has managed to avoid the rust while getting their rest

[Commandant]

20 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

 

I believe the 'Canes were pretty much settled into top spot in the division and the Habs were still chasing second place, so I prefer to avoid putting too much faith in those wins ... I am very curious to see whether Carolina has managed to avoid the rust while getting their rest

 

Settled into first in the division.

 

Not settled into first in the conference and the easier wild card opponent and guaranteed home ice in the conference final.

 

They only finished 2 points ahead of Buffalo, so this was never assured when we played them.

 

And nothing at all was assured on January 1st when we beat them.

[Commandant]

I think the rest makes a difference and they beat us in game 1.

 

However i think its game on again in Game 2 and beyond.

[GHT120]

9 minutes ago, Commandant said:

And nothing at all was assured on January 1st when we beat them.

Really?

[huzer]

49 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Really?

 Really. On Jan 1st, Detroit was 1st in the East, Buffalo was 5 points behind Montreal, the Canes only 1 pt up. Quite the logjam with 4 teams within 2 points for 1st in the East.

[GHT120]

50 minutes ago, huzer said:

 Really. On Jan 1st, Detroit was 1st in the East, Buffalo was 5 points behind Montreal, the Canes only 1 pt up. Quite the logjam with 4 teams within 2 points for 1st in the East.

Sarcasm impaired I see ... "nothing at all was assured on January 1st" ... OBVIOUSLY

[huzer]

47 minutes ago, GHT120 said:

Sarcasm impaired I see ... "nothing at all was assured on January 1st" ... OBVIOUSLY

 

Not quite sure what you have against me, but most responses tend to be hostile. I'll refrain from future engagement.

 

[GHT120]

1 hour ago, huzer said:

Not quite sure what you have against me, but most responses tend to be hostile. I'll refrain from future engagement.

 

Could say the same ... apologies if I offended you but you came back at me as if my "Really?" post could somehow be serious

[tomh009]

1 hour ago, GHT120 said:

 

Could say the same ... apologies if I offended you but you came back at me as if my "Really?" post could somehow be serious

I'll say that it wasn't obvious to me, either. Maybe I'm sarcasm-impaired?

[GHT120]

Original PMK post referenced the two late season games ... Commandant's response to me then also mentioned nothing being settled when we beat them in  January ... thought "Really" was obviously a sarcastic reply to that element ... apologies to one and all who didn't take it that way ... I'll try to be more bland

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

18 hours ago, tomh009 said:

The view from the Canes country:

 

 

If we’re being honest, this is a fairly realistic assessment.

 

It assumes that the last two games against BUF provide a template for Carolina to apply against the Habs. I think that’s correct. And I mean…Carolina has been to the semi-finals three times since 2019 and is consistently a strong club. Loads of playoff experience and 113 regular season points. They are going to be the favourites in this series.

 

What this poster discounts is the possibility that MSL can identify adjustments that prevent those ‘easy zone entries.’ Also, the claim that the Habs are ‘not very deep’ is not based on watching the team in these playoffs. In fact it’s our depth players who have gotten us here.

 

Plus, Montreal has consistently found ways to win all season and all playoff. We’ve shown that our A-game can beat anybody. To my mind, the question is whether the Habs will be able to bring their A-game after two gruelling series and showing worrisome signs of flagging against Buffalo.

 

If we bring that game, the series is a toss-up.

 

 

 

[tomh009]

What's with all these 8 PM starts?

 

 

 

[Commandant]

10 minutes ago, tomh009 said:

What's with all these 8 PM starts?

 

 

 

 

Conference final have been 8pm for a bit now.  US television preferred time when they only have 1 game.

[JoeLassister]

Have not watched any Canes game in these Playoffs.  Are they still using the strategy of shooting from everywhere all the time ?

[Commandant]

Just now, JoeLassister said:

Have not watched any Canes game in these Playoffs.  Are they still using the strategy of shooting from everywhere all the time ?

 

Yes

[Peter Puck]

On 5/19/2026 at 11:58 AM, tomh009 said:

The view from the Canes country:

 

What this really misses is score effects.  In both game 6 and especially game 7 we got out to early 2 goal advantages.  This led to us trying to protect the lead and so the Sabres drove the play.  If the score is 2-0 Habs at the end of the first, I expect the Canes will find they can dominate puck possession.   

[tomh009]

14 hours ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

It assumes that the last two games against BUF provide a template for Carolina to apply against the Habs. I think that’s correct.

 

Ruff shuffled his lines for game 6 and the Habs had no answer to the game they brought. It wasn't as bad in game 7, but I think these two games were a learning experience for St-Louis. He's been doing well this past regular season, but coaching in a seven-game series is not quite the same, and this was only his third playoff series.

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of approach he takes against Carolina, and whether he can respond to Brind'Amour's moves more effectively than to Cooper's and Ruff's. 

[tomh009]

On 5/20/2026 at 6:55 AM, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Plus, Montreal has consistently found ways to win all season and all playoff. We’ve shown that our A-game can beat anybody. To my mind, the question is whether the Habs will be able to bring their A-game after two gruelling series and showing worrisome signs of flagging against Buffalo.

 

If we bring that game, the series is a toss-up.

You called it!

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

9 hours ago, tomh009 said:

You called it!

 

Ahahahaha, well, it’s not like I said we’d win 6-2. But yeah, when we’re firing on all cylinders, we are an overpowering team.

[tomh009]

They're back ...

 

 

 

[DON]

Suzuki 16 pts 3rd in scoring.

Hutson 14pts tied 2nd in d-scoring, anyone expect Guhle to have 8pts, maybe finally fully healthy and gaining confidence.

 

Danault making most of ‘second chance’ with Canadiens | NHL.com

 

But Danault gives Suzuki relief. He takes important face-offs in the defensive zone. He kills penalties. He plays against top lines. And, clearly, he provides a little offensive pop too.

"He fills in a chair, a role that we needed," St. Louis said. "We have some great young players, tons of skill, and we need to have some veteran guys that can play a different role; killing penalties, good on draws, hard to play against defensively, and he's brought that to us for sure."

Danault is indeed fitting in with the Canadiens, and his personality is flowing out of him.