Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning Series Predictions

Previously on… my Montreal Canadiens playoff predictions:

Round 1

Prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs in six.

Actual result: Canadiens in seven.

Round 2

Prediction: Canadiens in six.

Result: Canadiens in four.

Round 3

Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights in seven.

Result: Canadiens in six.

An now, for the Stanley Cup Final:

Prediction: Canadiens in seven.

Result: TBD

As the Habs get ready to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and play the most important series of the season, everyone is getting ready to watch them – physically: making plans, arranging set-ups… and emotionally: after all, fans have had to wait 28 years to see them in the final again, and many fans are seeing this happen for the first time.

Some fans are headed to Tampa to watch them there, others will be attending Games 3 or 4 at the Bell Centre, while thousands will be outside the arena and millions will be watching somewhere else in the city and everywhere around the world.

All my previous Canadiens predictions have been wrong so far in terms of team and number of games. The only round I got somewhat right was the second when I had predicted that the winner of the Leafs vs Habs series would beat the Winnipeg Jets.

I am using part of the same logic I used in that previous prediction, in the sense that the Canadiens have overcome so many obstacles to go down now.

It won’t be easy. There will probably be more obstacles, more blood and sweat, but they’ve proved that they can overcome anything thrown their way, and I’m expecting them to do it again in the final.

They’re facing the greedy defending champions who want to keep the cup to themselves, a strong, highly-skilled team that has a lot of confidence being in the final for two years in a row.

But the Canadiens aren’t there because of any luck. They’ve worked hard, game after game, shift after shift, and they have proved they deserve to be there just as much as any other team.

This final will be intense and physical, but in the end, it all comes down to which team is the best, and that’s all about skills, plays, and a system.