The Montreal Canadiens have been on an extended roll to solidify their hold on a playoff spot. But what team should Habs fans hope Montreal faces in the first round?
The Montreal Canadiens have been on a roll of late.
They've gone 10-3-1 in their past 14 games to strengthen their hold on a Stanley Cup playoff spot. They sit third in the Atlantic Division heading into Thursday's action.
But about those playoffs: the Canadiens likely won't know who they're facing in the first round of the post-season until the final week of the regular season.
With the Atlantic-leading Buffalo Sabres and second-place Tampa Bay Lightning both ahead of Montreal by four and two points, respectively, and with Montreal having a game in hand on the Sabres, the Atlantic has a slew of potential finishes.
But one thing is clear – under the right circumstances, against the right opponents, the Canadiens have the potential to win a couple of rounds and send a shot across the bow of the league as they assert themselves as a legitimate Cup contender.
Specifically, if you're a Habs fan, you probably want Montreal to take on the Sabres over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Even if Montreal falls into a wild-card spot and takes on the Carolina Hurricanes, the Habs would match up well against them or Buffalo.
The Sabers, for instance, have virtually an entire team of younger players who don't know what the playoffs are all about, and Montreal got its toes in the playoff waters last season.
And although Buffalo has a deep defense corps and some solid scoring options in Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, the Canadiens also have a deep group of blueliners and solid scoring options in Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes don't lead the Metropolitan Division by accident, so they won't be a pushover against Montreal or any other team. But with the recent stretch of strong play from goalie Jakub Dobes – who has a save percentage of .926 or better in each of his past six games – the Canadiens could have the edge in net against the Canes. Carolina's tandem of Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen has its flaws, and Dobes has won both games he has played against the Hurricanes this season.
Now, there's a potential series for the Canadiens that could result in Montreal being eliminated before the second round – and that would be if the Habs took on the Lightning.
To be fair, we don't think any team matches up well against the Bolts. They have the edge in netminding and at forward, as well as their wealth of Cup-winning experience that no team besides the Florida Panthers, which are virtually eliminated from playoff contention this season, has in the Eastern Conference.
But preferring Buffalo or Carolina over Tampa Bay isn't just the lesser of evils. The Habs have shown enough to suggest they could be predicted to beat the Sabres and Canes.
The Sabres may ultimately just be happy their 14-season playoff drought is over, while the jury is still out on a Hurricanes team that hasn't been able to put it all together despite regularly having one of the better teams in the East. Those facts leave an opening for the Canadiens to pounce on, and while we still think the Habs are one or two years away from being a Grade-A Cup front-runner.
Montreal has built its team the right way – through patience and diligence and a bit of luck as well. They're going to need all those things to win a round or two. But that's not unreasonable for Habs fans to ask of their team. The Canadiens are a team still finding its ceiling, but in a couple of weeks – against the right opponent – they have what it takes to go on a run.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.