Here we go...
This is the series we have waited for since before any of you were born. The Leafs vs. the Habs...
On the Leafs...
Matthews is an absolute beast. We havent seen a player that can score as many different kinds of goals as Matthews can in a long time. He will take ANY pass and get it on net. The Leafs know this and they know how to get the puck to him.
In goal, Campbell is NOT Andersen. And that matters too..
The ghosts of the past don't really feel as big right now.
On the Habs...
The choice to NOT play Kotkaniemi and Caufield is....well Brutal. To play Josh Anderson on the fourth line is bordering on absurd. This team has seen its most success skating and playing fast...The Leafs are fast and my only guess here is the Habs coach feels they can't skate with them and they have seen the physical success that Boston and Columbus had versus Toronto in the past?
Both those teams were built to be that kind of team. This Habs team is built to fly...You can't hit what you can't catch...and if you can't score you can't play with the leafs anyway...
Price could steal a game, maybe two, but there is no way they win this series without Kotkaniemi, Caufield and Anderson playing a MAJOR role.
Throwing away a game or two on this "experiment" is careless by Coach Dominique Ducharme...In the end, these Habs are not contenders right now, but if they continue to develop like they had been developing they will be a force...and that will be with Kotkaniemi, Caufield and Anderson...why not get them the experience now? Is Montreal Ownership pressuring for a Cup NOW?
Prediction...
Montreal and Toronto is one of those rivalries where ANYTHING can happen. I could see Montreal winning tonight, but then the Leafs sweeping from there because the Canadiens feel they did the right thing by scratching their star players...
My pick: Leafs in 5...