1) When you look at all the things that the Canadiens did right in their series with Tampa Bay, you have to wonder how the Boston Bruins will disable some of them.

Let's face it-- that's who the Canadiens are playing next. Detroit might go back to Boston and steal another before it's decided. Heck, if they stole another two that would be unforeseen. But it's more likely the matchup gets set as early as Saturday, and two rested teams will do battle when the second round is set to commence.

2) So:
-Forced dump-ins.
-Quick puck movement from the defense.
-Smooth transition in the neutral zone.
-Aggressive puck pursuit.
-Stretching out the ice and attacking with speed from the wing.

Which team am I describing?

The Bruins and Canadiens may have finished 17 points apart in the standings, but they're more alike than most have considered.

Granted, the Bruins are better at almost all these things than Montreal is, and that's largely because they have better personnel at nearly every position.

The Bruins do an incredible job of forcing you to dump the puck in; either by way of tremendous back pressure through the neutral zone, or by positionally taking away the offensive blue line.

If you put it towards Chara's side, Boychuk's side, or Miller's side, you're in for a punishing puck battle. If you put it towards Krug, Hamilton or Bartowski, you're giving the Bruins an opportunity at a quick out, as all three of these players move the puck very efficiently, and all three of them can get to it quick enough to do that.

If you decide to pass your way into the zone--notice how well that's working out for Detroit--you face a much heavier challenge of getting the puck behind Boston's D to work it back to the points so you can create opportunities in the middle of the ice. The only way to pass your way over the line in an even-man situation against Boston is to keep the puck to the outside, and the Bruins are more than comfortable allowing you to do that.

What does all of this mean?

It means the Canadiens have to be particularly strong on the defensive side of the puck, doing all the things that lead to neutral zone turnovers and odd-man rushes. Their best chance at scoring in a series against the Bruins is to create chances off the rush or to draw penalties in odd-man situations. If they are able to recover pucks in even-man situations, they have to generate offense from the point, and hope the net-drive of their wingers bears fruit.

So yes, that aggressive forecheck you saw in round one--it doesn't just fall by the wayside, but expect to see a neutral zone trap when the situation calls for it.

The Canadiens are going to have tremendous puck support in their own zone to help the defense stave off the most relentless and punishing forecheck in the league. They aren't getting the same kind of outs they had against Tampa Bay. The wingers are going to have to come back a little deeper into the zone to allow the defense a quick chip play on retrieval, and it's going to effect the possession game that was so instrumental in dismantling Tampa Bay.

I know some of this sounds disheartening for the fans that want to see the Canadiens go along just as they did in round one, but if you honestly think the Canadiens are going to beat the Bruins by trying to outdo them in their own style, you're delusional.

It doesn't mean the Canadiens should just abandon the things they did well on the offensive side; it means they have to be smart and selective on how to exploit Boston's defense when the opportunities to attack with speed and possession present themselves.

3) All of these systemic suggestions--they lend well to frustrating Boston. And when you frustrate the Bruins, you have your best chance to beat them. The style adjustment takes as much commitment and work as what you saw from the Canadiens in the first round. And to have a counterattack that features four lines of scoring is a major asset to pull this off.

No team in history, and no team this year even has given the Bruins more fits than the Canadiens have. Their versatility--as this blog is outlining (because they can play the style I'm outlining extremely well)--should have any Canadiens fan believing that a win over Boston is possible.

4) I get it. This blog is somewhat disrespectful to the Wings. They're down 3-1, headed back to Boston, and they have the leadership to manage something unexpected. But they have to incorporate some heavy tactical adjustments here to pull this off, and it's arguable they don't have the pieces to execute it. Team speed isn't quite what it should be for them throughout their roster, and that doesn't lend quite as well for the type of commitment you need to execute away from the puck.

5) Powerplay. The Habs have plenty of time to work on it. I wish I could present the answers for that one.

Movement needs to be much better--both of the puck and of the players.

P.K. Subban needn't worry about who's in the lane. He has a weapon of a shot, and he can do some damage with it. If he gets a clean look at a one-timer, he's gotta pop it. If it doesn't get through, it's going to hurt. The earlier he commits to this in the series, the better the chances are that Montreal's powerplay is going to connect.

Pacioretty and Vanek had a lot of opportunities in the first round on the powerplay, and they missed just about all of them. If that repeats itself, it could be a short series.

6) Hamilton, Krug, Chara and Boychuck. They all have bombs from the point. They all get pucks to the net. They all feed off wingers having to help their defensemen out by playing deeper in the defensive zone.

Quick outs, even at the behest of giving up possession at times, will be instrumental in disabling the way Boston generates offense. Those shots from the point need to get blocked. If they get to the net, those big wingers on the Bruins side are going to do what they do best.

7) Montreal has the depth and physicality to not be bullied. They won't be bullied. But they can't be out to prove that. It'll naturally come about that they won't be bullied, but if that's what they're focused on, we'll have a strong sense for who has the mental advantage.

And let's face it, the Canadiens have beaten the Bruins with speed and transition, and it's given them the mental edge they so desperately need in the playoffs against these guys.

8) Price versus Rask. They are the two best goalies in the world, and yet, when they play against each other, one has a substantial edge.

That could change. Rask could find a way to treat the Canadiens as though they're any other opponent, and it might change if he does. This is one of those things that you just can't explain. When it comes to the Canadiens, Rask has fallen short of where he is versus virtually every other team in the league.

9) Aside from the speed on their back end, there's one other category in which the Bruins have massively evolved: Powerplay.

It's clicking at 40% right now, to lead the playoffs. The Bruins are 4/10 through four games. They were third in the league this year.

Chara's down low, which is a huge reason why Douglas Murray's likely to enter the fray for Montreal. And when you consider the Canadiens 15th out of the 16 teams in the playoffs on the penalty kill, you're likely to see Travis Moen re-enter the fray as well.

Shutting down the Bruins' powerplay might be the easiest way to beat them this post-season. The Canadiens have shown they can hang with them at five-on-five.

10) Why can Montreal hang with Boston? They have the depth, and they're going to need it. All of it.

I'd expect the roster from game one to include Murray, Moen and Galchenyuk (if he's ready). That could mean a night off for Bournival and Briere. It's likely to mean a night off for Bouillon too. When you consider how good those players were for Montreal in round one, that would be a tough pill to swallow for all of them. But all of them are aware of these possibilities, and all of them will be counted on at one point (or several points) of the series.

The Habs were lucky to escape the first round relatively healthy. They can't possibly expect to skate through Boston unscathed.

It's a series that isn't guaranteed yet, but if we didn't believe it was on its way, I wouldn't be writing about it. It figures to be the best series of the entire playoffs if and when it happens, and Michel Therrien made a promise that his team would be ready for it.

With the time Montreal has to prepare, they can only hope that Detroit forces Boston to play more games. If not, a rested and well-prepared Bruins team will have plenty of time to think about how to avoid the mental rattling Montreal needs to impose to win.

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