Canadiens vs Lightning: 5 Reasons To Be Confident

Mar 16, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Montreal Canadiens center Lars Eller (81), defenseman Andrei Markov (79) and center Tomas Plekanec (14) congratulate tmamtes after Plekanec scored a goal during the second period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

CANADIENS vs LIGHTNING: 5 Reasons To Be Confident

The Montreal Canadiens waited for 5 days to find out their opponent for Round 2 – and there were many thoughts on both teams in the mix. I think it’s sufficient to say fans were holding their breath for the Detroit Red Wings to clinch the series, and having gone into a Game 7, that was a very real possibility.

Tampa Bay Lightning were the Habs’ nemesis this season, having taken every game against the Canadiens in the regular-season series, and that caused fans to be frustrated and concerned about a potential match-up in the playoffs.

And once again, editorial cartoonist, Terry Mosher, has drawn some special magic to encourage the Habs:

No one is denying that Round 2 is going to be a challenge. Every round gets more difficult, every opponent more formidable than the last.

No one is expecting a sweep – by either team. Tampa has its healthy primary goaltender back this season, already pre-empting the scenario the Habs faced last season when contending with their back-up in nets.

But the Canadiens have Carey Price in nets. Enough said.

No one should expect this to be a short series either. There will be more ups and downs than in Round 1. There will be more challenges to face. Tampa is said to be a bad match-up for the Canadiens, and perhaps there are areas in which that is accurate. Time will tell.

But these are playoffs. A different season. A “second season”, and one in which games are played, challenges are met, and successes achieved with a different outlook than in regular-season games.

My endless optimism, combined with my profound belief in this Canadiens team, has me less concerned than I might have been before truly getting into the reasons for confidence in a win.

And I know that fans – or should I say “fans”? – have already written off the Habs for this series, packed in their exuberence and exchanged it for resigned defeat. I know this because I see it in social media all the time.

For example:

This is common. People are only seeing the inability of the Habs to solve the Lightning over the season, one game of which occurred in the very first week (and registered as the team’s first loss of the season; I should mention, social media blew up with negativity that night).

(The City of Montreal is in it for the long haul – dressing up famous landmarks to encourage everyone to get into the spirit of playoffs.)

The only way to combat the defeatist attitude is to understand what’s at stake. Understand the elements that go into each game, and how playoffs, a separate season altogether, rise above anything that happened in the regular season.

So here are 5 reasons for Habs fans to put away the panic buttons, and go into watching Game 1 with a positive feeling.

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