Playoff Coaching

Rookie interim head coach Dominic Ducharme has made his decision and has chosen experience over skill. Three of the Habs youngest but more skilled players will all be healthy scratches for game 1. It’s a very bold choice by Ducharme which could easily decide if he returns as head coach next year.

The biggest question mark is to hold out third year forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Kotkaniemi was excellent in the bubble last year and played every single game this season. Personally I think it is a mistake but I believe Ducharme’s thinking behind the decision is he knows the Habs will not beat the Leafs if they rely on skill and is hoping his group of veterans will be able to bottle up the Leafs, keep their composure, and not give up anything easy.

Playoff Preview

• Regular season
  The Leafs won 7 of 10 games played between the two teams this season, but out of those 10 games half were one goal games with another two having an empty net goal being the extra difference maker. The remaining three games were losses for the Habs but all three games had a common theme, the Leafs scored first and the Habs were flat early. Lastly it should be noted that Carey Price played the first four games against the Leafs and hasn’t faced them since February 20th.
• Health
  Both the Habs and Leafs will start the playoffs with almost full line ups. Carey Price, Shea Weber, Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault will all be vital for the Habs to beat the Leafs. The Habs will be without Jonathan Drouin for the playoffs. The Leafs will have Zach Hyman, Riley Nash and Zach Bogosian in the lineup. They may not be the Leafs best players but all play an important role.
• Post-season history
  In the last ten seasons, the Habs have fared much better than the Leafs in the postseason. The Leafs haven’t made it out of the first round in that time while the Habs made a bit of a splash at times. What does this mean? Absolutely nothing, the Leafs have made the playoffs the last five seasons and have improved their team every year and are expected to go far this season. While the Habs may be the betting underdog, they always play the Leafs hard.

A Look Back

Last game: MTL 3  TOR 4 (OT)

For a complete game recap: Oilers @ Canadiens: Regular Season Finale Loss

Players to Watch

• Carey Price
  Price hasn’t played an NHL game for weeks since suffering a concussion, meaning he will be rested but may have some rust. Price will be the biggest factor to how far the Habs go and if he can steal at least a game the Habs will have a chance to win the series. The big factor will be Price shutting the door early giving his team confidence and giving them a chance to win every game.
• Brendan Gallagher
  Gallagher’s spark had been missing from the Habs during his absence. He played in the final game for the Rocket and showed some fatigue but should be ready to get back to his old ways. Gallagher knows he will have to get under the Leafs skin and get their attention to distract them from their game.
• Phillip Danault
  Danault will make his return from a concussion and will be tasked with containing Auston Matthews. It’s not going to be easy but Danault has a chip on his shoulder  and it’s time he uses that. He can be effective defensively when he wants to and if he can shut down Matthews, it will do wonders for the Habs chances in this series.

Keys to Victory

• Start well
  It’s evident the Habs need to have a good start. The Leafs are very confident going into this series and the Habs need to shut that down right from the start. Keep it simple with pucks in deep, heavy hits and make the Leafs start second guessing themselves.
• Be strong defensively
  The Habs know they don’t have the most mobile defensive crew but they can make up for that with intelligence, discipline and physicality. The Leafs will try to hound the Habs defense early but if the Habs are smart and counter the Leafs attack they will have a good chance in round one.
• Be physical
  The Habs led the league in hits per game this season. It will be easy for them to ramp it up even more in the playoffs. The more physical the battle the more it benefits the Habs. The Leafs will be able to counter the Habs physical play but their star players are used to having time and space which tends to disappear come playoffs.

Bottom Line