The Habs have it. Tonight, they evened their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins at 3-3. One more game decides the semi-finals and which team reaches the Eastern Conference final. And from that point, it is only four victories away from playing for Le Coupe Stanley.
Where do these Canadiens get off? The eighth seed in the east has come out of nowhere, to win four games against the league leading Washington Capitals, and then three games against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Part of the explanation is Jaroslav Halak, who is perfect in games facing elimination. Another part is the Montreal crowd. Their noise factor is almost a seventh man on the ice. But maybe the real explanation is the magic of their tradition. Every CanadiAn hockey player knows, down deep, that the CanadiEns are the best and will always remain so.
Part of the explanation is Jaroslav Halak, who is perfect in games facing elimination. Another part is the Montreal crowd. Their noise factor is almost a seventh man on the ice. But maybe the real explanation is the magic of their tradition. Every CanadiAn hockey player knows, down deep, that the CanadiEns are the best and will always remain so.
These Habs are one game away from entering the Eastern Conference final. Meanwhile, Alex Ovechkin is out of NHL play, off in Germany playing for home country Russia in the IIHF World Championships. Sid the Kid has one goal in the Montreal series (scored tonight). Tonight's 4-2 victory in Montreal was achieved without the services of Habs defenseman Hal Gill, who was injured in Game 5.
The semi-final series is mirroring the quarterfinals against Washington. Can the Habs repeat their seventh game performance, and beat the Penguins on the road in Pittsburgh? Wednesday night, the hockey world will know if this Cinderella story is real.
Meanwhile, in Boston, the Philadelphia Flyers staved off elimination with an impressive 4-0 victory. Their series returns to Philly on Wednesday too. That means that two games will be played in Pennsylvania on the same day. One contestant in the Eastern finals will emerge from the Pittsburgh-Montreal series. If Boston can win at the Wachovia Center, they can also move on.
Philly may be without the services of goalie Brian Boucher, who was injured in the Boston game tonight. As of tonight, the extent of his injury is unknown. The Flyers have been snake-bitten this year, with a string of goalie injuries and rotating goaltenders. Boucher's replacement was Michael Leighton, who started off the season with the Carolina Hurricanes before being put on waivers, and getting picked up by the Bruins.
Philly may be without the services of goalie Brian Boucher, who was injured in the Boston game tonight. As of tonight, the extent of his injury is unknown. The Flyers have been snake-bitten this year, with a string of goalie injuries and rotating goaltenders. Boucher's replacement was Michael Leighton, who started off the season with the Carolina Hurricanes before being put on waivers, and getting picked up by the Bruins.
The Eastern Conference remains in suspense, while in the West, the San Jose Sharks are relaxing and waiting for the outcome of the Vancouver - Chicago series. It is still possible that an all Canada Stanley Cup final might happen, if Montreal wins on Wednesday and Vancouver can win two straight.
Hockey Rules.
No comments:
Post a Comment