SI.com (Darren Eliot):
In Montreal, I was really taken by how genuinely optimistic the city is about this young team. Don’t get me wrong. The Habs did lead the Eastern Conference in points and have been consistent all season long, avoiding the lengthy losing skids that plagued every other team at some point over the course of the regular schedule. Still, with the most storied of NHL franchises, this city’s expectations for its beloved Canadiens can sometimes bring a claustrophobic sense of entitlement to the proceedings.
Not this time around.
The team’s precise play has drawn in the passionate locals. The Canadiens skate swiftly, pass crisply and in these parts are “a joy to watch,” as one old-timer told me. The fact that this team has a core of young players around which to build only adds to the allure. There is a sense that this team is going to be there for the foreseeable future and that Carey Price in goal will be the difference-maker at the game’s most critical position. The fact that he and the rest are only going to get better has Canadiens fans fired up.