The third round of the playoffs will be underway starting Sunday afternoon and once again the Montreal Canadiens advanced despite the odds being against them. The HabsWorld writers provide their predictions on the two semifinal series to see who will advance on to the Stanley Cup final.
Marc Bergevin is the mad scientist who concocted this version of the Habs and has assembled a group of veterans, youngsters, and everything in between to make the Canadiens an intriguing team to watch for heading into their series against Vegas.
Over the past several days, Laval has been getting a head start on putting their team together for next season, signing some prospects. On Friday, they added a veteran to their ranks, announcing the signing of winger Gabriel Bourque to a one-year AHL deal.
May began with a whimper but ended with a bang for the Canadiens. The first star of the month was one of the more obvious choices in a while, but Montreal’s depth was on full display as well.
Cole Caufield had a delayed start to his playoffs but he has quickly become a fixture in Montreal’s top six. Along the way, he may very well be the biggest wildcard if the Habs are going to have success in the third round.
The Habs were the better team for most of Monday’s Game 4 which was surprising given the fact that the Jets had their season on the line. Montreal let up enough in the second for Winnipeg to get back in the game, but the Suzuki-Caufield overtime magic was just too irresistible as they found an open Toffoli to end the series with a 3-2 victory, sending the Habs to a final-four appearance.
The Habs got another early lead and didn’t look back. Joel Armia had a pair of shorthanded tallies as special teams played a big role on Sunday night as Montreal skated away with a 5-1 victory, extending their series lead on Winnipeg to 3-0.
The Habs needed a win to start the week to keep their season alive. Then, for good measure, they picked up the first two against Winnipeg, starting off the North Division Final on a high note while giving them their first five-game win streak since late 2017.
The Habs led the league in shorthanded goals during the regular season and picked up another one on Friday as Tyler Toffoli’s tally was the only goal of the game, sending Montreal back home with a 2-0 series lead.
After the Habs were victorious over the Maple Leafs to start the postseason, the team quickly moved on to the second round of the playoffs two nights later. Our latest podcast looks back at the end of the Toronto series and the start of the Winnipeg one.