A Winning Habit
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A 24-seeded playoff format could benefit the Montreal Canadiens

By Omar L

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: The Montreal Canadiens skate in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 16: The Montreal Canadiens skate in warm-ups prior to the game against the New York Rangers in Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 16, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens
MONTREAL, QC – APRIL 12: Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

Even if it’s longer, say a best of three, the Montreal Canadiens still have decent odds.

We saw last year what fighting for your life could do for you in the playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets took the Tampa Bay Lightning by surprise in the first round while the Carolina Hurricanes fought their way to the Eastern Conference. Going from looking forward to the Draft Lottery to competing in the playoffs may spark something in this group.

Montreal has had ‘never give up’ as one of their main mantras this season. Even when they’re losing, they still work hard to the very end if that can come up in a playoff format that includes the Montreal Canadiens, who knows what could happen.

The downside of a format such as this is it could mean those lower teams will end up playing more games. That will surely make the battle during the playoffs a lot more difficult.

It’ll be a complicated dilemma for the NHL to figure out. However, it would be exciting to see the Montreal Canadiens there. Think back to the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they went in as the eighth seed and upset the Washington Capitals in seven games. They carried that momentum to the East Conference Final but ended up losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.

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Would it be surprising if something crazy like that happened this year? Again, it all depends on what happens with the virus. Considering how things have gone so far, it could lead to a very entertaining playoff.

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