Montreal Canadiens: Covering Sidney Crosby No Easy Task

As the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted this NHL season, the league has now put forth a multi-phase return to play plan, which now has a set schedule for when teams will be playing each other. Best-of-three qualifying series will be played to determine the seeding for the rest of the playoffs, and eliminated teams will each get a 12.5 percent chance at the 1st overall pick in this year’s NHL entry draft.

On August 1st, the Montreal Canadiens are set to play their first game against the Penguins in their qualifying series, following a tune-up game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 28th. It will mark the 1st time since that upset win in 2010 that these teams meet each other in the playoffs and will naturally present some newfound challenges for teams that have changed drastically since then.

While the Penguins have been able to keep up a consistent string of success since 2010, managing the unheard feat of back to back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the Canadiens have been less fortunate. The team managed a Conference Finals appearance in 2014, but that’s the furthest they’ve gone since then, and have currently missed the playoffs the last two seasons.

At the age of 32, Crosby has shown no signs of slowing down and should be, alongside fellow superstars like Evgeni Malkin, the Montreal Canadiens’ main focus.

Aside from them, the Penguins have been relying on the surprise performances of depth players like forward Bryan Rust and backup goalie Tristan Jarry, which makes keeping players like Malkin and Crosby under check all the more important.