The NHL should be worried about taking on the Montreal Canadiens

As more possible playoff formats come to light, one thing is clear: the rest of the league should be worried about taking on the Montreal Canadiens.

Since the NHL went on pause, there have been ideas floating left and right about the best way to restart it. It’s pretty clear we’re not going to see the 2019-20 regular season finished properly pushing the league to extend the playoffs to 24 teams, so it’s “fair” for those teams who were just on the outside. Fortunately for Habs nation, that will include the Montreal Canadiens by overall points and points percentage as they squeeze in as the 24th seed.

Many have voiced their opinions on the format of the playoffs, but Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano said it best weeks ago, this Stanley Cup will be the most difficult to win. Not only are more teams involved, but said teams will be 100% healthy (for the most part). It won’t be like every year where the majority of the roster is dealing with some kind of ailment. The whole team will be jarring to go with minimal hindrance.

Now, if you’re one of those people who like steady and controlled games, you might be out of luck. You know how the entire preseason and the first week or two of the regular season is really sloppy? Defence is minimal, goals scoring and penalties increase, and whether teams are winning or losing, the coaching staff has something to say about it.

That’s what the NHL restart is going to look like. Regardless of each team getting a training camp to get back in their groove, it’s going to be messy. Therefore, two kinds of teams will benefit from this theme, at least to start out: high offence and high-end goaltending.

The coaching staff will sit at their desks ahead of puck drop and hope for 2-1 finishes, but they’ll most likely be 7-6 barn burners. Again, that’s how things are going to start though it will be easier for those disciplined teams to settle in before the others.

Teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins who have both elite goal scoring and goaltending will be fine. However, most of the format ideas have the top teams pass on so they may not have to worry. Teams who have to take on the Montreal Canadiens, on the other hand, should.

This comes across like a very bold statement, and in most accounts, it is one considering how poor the team was this season, but think about it. The Habs have players who can finish and produce when they’re on their game despite not having a game-in, game-out breaker on the ice. Their strongest weapon has been their strongest weapon for years now: Carey Price.

Is it too much of an ask for Price to steal two games for the Habs? If the playoffs make use of a proto-first-round where teams play best-of-three series to settle on the 16 who move on, all they will need is two wins.

Relying on goaltending has been a style Claude Julien has tried to avoid at all costs these last years, but Price gives the Habs the greatest chance to advance. Elliotte Friedman’s inclusion of the fears of other teams having to face a healthy Price in his latest 31 Thoughts post shouldn’t go unnoticed.

Wins are wins in the playoffs, and it doesn’t matter how you get them. And in a year such as this where the play is going to be as sloppy as ever, high-end goaltending is going to do the trick for the Habs. At the same time, this will be a defining moment for Price.

If his faults this year is rest and over usage, it intensifies the narrative of having a proper backup goaltender to relieve him at times during the season. However, if Price plays at that beyond-elite level and the Montreal Canadiens still falter, it will instead intensify the concerns many have been arguing about the team for a long time.

The 24-team extension is a great opportunity for the Canadiens to find any sense of success after another disappointing year. It’s also an opportunity to confirm some things, be it short sample size. But either way, any team that has to face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2020 playoffs should be worried as a healthy Carey Price is a healthy chance to succeed.