After 28 years, the Montreal Canadiens are back in the Stanley Cup Final. They had come close in 2010 and 2014, where they reached the conference finals, but were unable to beat the Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers. But this year, this crazy year, the Habs did it.
They are coming in hot against a team in Tampa Bay that just finished a gruelling 7 game series against the New York Islanders, and is looking at a very similar team in Montreal, albeit with a much stronger goalie in Carey Price. It is safe to say that confidence has never been higher.
There is something different this year compared to those other years I mentioned before. 2010 and 2014 were years where the team was absolutely carried to those conference finals on the backs of goaltending. 2010 Montreal got absolutely demolished by Washington in every way but on the scoresheet, and it wasn’t quite as bad in Pittsburgh but it was bad enough and Jaroslav Halak just ran out of gas.
2014 was similar in the way that Price carried the team as far as they went. They surprisingly swept the favoured Lightning in Round 1, and entered their contractually obligated 7 game epic against Boston. It was all looking great until New York’s Chris Kreider ran into Price, sending him out of the series and Montreal packing for the golf course.
Now would it have been a similar outcome if, say, Alex Tuch ran into Price and several injured him? Probably. Not only did Price make some key timely saves, but he got in the heads of the opponents. Guys like Karlsson and Marchessault were missing the net because they knew only the most perfect shot would beat Price.
At the same time Jake Allen is much better than Dustin Tokarski, but can he beat the Golden Knights better?
The biggest difference is that that sort of play does not seem possible against this Montreal Canadiens team. I cannot remember the last time I saw a breakaway straight up the gut this playoff run. The closest was Pacioretty coming up the side and ringing it up the pipe.
Those other teams felt like a team being carried by a goalie, or a good team buoyed by great goaltending. This iteration of the Canadiens is different.
They feel like a team of destiny.
While the goaltending has been all world, the defence has been no slouch either. Part of what makes the goaltending so great is that the defence is giving the opponents no good looks. You don’t kill off 30 straight penalties just on the back of goaltending.
And the offence, while not the most potent of punches, has capitalized on nearly every chance they are given, and has handled more than their fair share of defensive duties. Be that winning key faceoffs, blocking shots, backchecking hard and clogging up the neutral zone.
Every single player on the team is playing some of the best hockey of their careers, which is good because this will never happen again.