A Winning Habit
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Montreal Canadiens predictions and key ideas ahead of Game 6

By Omar L

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 14: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers faces off against Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 14, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 14: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers faces off against Nick Suzuki #14 of the Montreal Canadiens during the second period in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 14, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers
TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 19: Montreal Canadiens Philadelphia Flyers (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Scott Cowan: If I were told in March that the Montreal Canadiens would be in a Game 6 against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I would’ve thought the world’s gone mad. The Habs were well out of a playoff spot by the time the NHL suspended play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having endured an up and down season marred by two long losing streaks. However, we’re living in the present now, and the present situation is that the Habs have played some of their best hockey in these playoffs.

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After enduring a tough two-game stretch where they failed to put a puck past Flyers goalie Carter Hart, they potted four in Game 5 on Wednesday, and have shown that they have the ability to score at will. For me personally, I think it’d be in Montreal’s best interest to not allow Hart to get warm, peppering him with shots and driving to the net for rebounds. Brendan Gallagher (before his injury) did just that to get his first goal of the playoffs, and I think it will be the make or break aspect come Friday.

Emmanuel D: Game 5 was the only game between the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia play an end-to-end hockey game. Every other game had one of the two teams controlling the pace for the entirety of the game, so it is hard to determine what kind of game we’ll see on Friday. If the Canadiens can get on the board early, I think they have a legitimate chance at pushing for a Game 7, but with Gallagher out, that becomes a lot harder.

If one thing is for certain, the Canadiens have played some of their best hockey this season, and if they go out tomorrow, the issues that still need solving are a lot more clear, particularly the need for a scoring winger. I expect them to fight for their lives as they did in Game 5.

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