For most, this is a surprise, but it doesn’t matter, it’s now reality.
The Montreal Canadiens are in the final four of the Stanley Cup playoffs and will face off against the powerhouse Vegas Golden Knights.
The Canadiens were being greatly disrespected heading into their respective matchups, but then again “He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best” and they were indeed the one’s who laughed last, as they eliminated both the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games after erasing a 3-1 series deficit, and then sweeping the Winnipeg Jets, who had come off their own sweep of the Edmonton Oilers.
Now, they shift their attention to the Vegas Golden Knights. Mark Stone, Alex Tuch, Alex Pietrangelo, Marc-Andre Fleury and former captain Max Pacioretty are all playing at the top of their games and Montreal is set to face their toughest matchup yet.
Here is what they need to do in order to stay in it against the Golden Knights.
1. Continue To Play As A Five-Man Unit
In the games Montreal won against Toronto and Winnipeg, they limited a lot of creativity by bringing numbers and reinforcements at every point. Whenever there would be a rush entry, you’d see multiple Canadiens forwards within the perimeter with serious aggressiveness and intent. They also clogged the neutral zone, and very often, as you may have seen on the Gallagher goal that got things going in Game 7, opposing players would lose the puck or turn it over and Montreal would be on the counter attack.
Montreal’s team defence might be the best of the final four teams. As the great philosopher Aristotle once said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, and when the Canadiens play as a unit, whether at even strength or on the penalty kill, they always find a way to suffocate the opponent regardless of the talent they posses.
In order for Montreal to limit the high danger scoring chances that Vegas will try to create, they must isolate the player from his options and pounce on the puck like starving hyenas on their prey. Vegas will not be easy when it comes to defending against. They played the Avalanche and Wild very strategically and with precise puck play in order to draw players away from assignments. This is a well coached and disciplined team.
2. Capitalize On Odd-Man Rushes
Vegas loves to push the play up the ice and very liberally activates its defensemen to join in the rush. What Montreal needs to do is counter-attack with a sense of urgency at every given moment possible. When you don’t have elite star power among your forwards, you can’t afford to miss opportunities when going the other way.
The Vegas-Colorado series saw a lot of back-and-forth action because both teams take high risk/high reward chances, and so if Montreal finds a way to defend the oncoming rush, they need to return the favour like mentioned above. More often than not, there will be chances to strike back and at least create some offensive zone cycles, something Montreal did well and exploited the area around and in front of the net against Toronto and Winnipeg.
Montreal is a very good counter attacking team and that’s something they’ll have to shift into a higher gear against the Golden Knights.
3. Make Fleury Uncomfortable
Marc-Andre Fleury has been among the best in the league for over a decade and he once again finds himself within grabbing range of the Stanley Cup and very possibly the Conn Smythe, as he’s been MVP caliber this year and in the playoffs.
The Canadiens will have to continuously drive the net and bring numbers in the crease if they want to make Vegas sweat and make Fleury nervous. Even though he’s been a brick wall and very composed, he needs to be kept active and moving. He can’t be standing still and waiting for shots from the point to make it to him. He’ll make that save nine out of ten times.
He needs to be worked and over-worked in order to get him out of position. Montreal will have to come up with cross-zone and cross-crease plays to get Fleury to move around. They’ll have to be perfect because even when he’s out of position, he can make acrobatic saves.
Nick Suzuki, Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Cole Caufield are some forwards that come to mind that make high danger puck plays that often fool netminders. They’ll have to get creative with this group of defenders and goalie. It will also be key to be in continuous movement on the ice. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s very easy to plant your feet like they’re made of cement and end up being a non-factor.
Final Thoughts
The Canadiens do have a chance to beat the Golden Knights. They are now battle tested. They have gone through serious adversity and have overcome heavy odds. They can stay in this series if they follow the above statements; play as a five-man unit, capitalize on the counter-attack and make Marc-Andre Fleury uncomfortable.
It’s a brand new series now.
Party City vs. Sin City. Montreal vs. Vegas. Canadiens vs. Golden Knights. Call it whatever you want, but at the end of the day, the puck is dropped at center ice and these two teams have a meeting at T-Mobile Arena on Monday night.