The Montreal Canadiens will begin their first playoff series since 2017 on Wednesday night and it won’t be easy. The Philadelphia Flyers are currently the hottest team in the league and it will take everything to get the win.
Claude Julien made a switch in game four of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers when he swapped a pair of centreman with Nick Suzuki replacing Philip Danault. Ultimately, it seemed to work and it helped Montreal clinch the series in four games. Expect the Canadiens bench boss to stick with that lineup for game one of the playoffs.
Keys To Victory
Fast start: The Montreal Canadiens need to get off to quick start in order to throw the Flyers off their game. Scoring the first goal is crucial and will set the tone for the postseason opener. The Habs are a better team with the lead and play with confidence as opposed to when they trail.
Don’t take penalties: The Montreal Canadiens, once again, need to stay out of the box because the Flyers, like Montreal, are a team of speed and special teams could hurt them.
Montreal Players To Watch
Tomas Tatar: He wasn’t able to score in the play-in round, but the Habs will need to rely on him to get things going and spark Montreal’s offence.
Carey Price: Price needs to continue what he did against the Penguins for Montreal to have a chance at another upset.
Philadelphia Players To Watch
Scott Laughton: He has been one of the Flyers best players, having finished the round robin with three goals and two assists. This made for a total of five points, of which he recorded through three games played.
Travis Konecny: He led his team with 61 points through 66 games played before the season was halted.
Puck drop is scheduled to take place at 8:00pmET at Scotiabank Arena. The game is available for viewing on Sportsnet Ontario, CBC and NBCSN, meanwhile, it can be heard via radio on TSN 690 and 98.5fm. It will also be carried in Canadiens region on TVA Sports to be watched in French.