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For those who caught my last rant, I went on about the Canadiens and Tampa Bay series and how I felt that the Lightning were not exactly making it hard on Montreal to walk away with a win.
They haven’t really improved in that regard, having dropped their third game of the series. We all knew that losing the two firs games, at home, would make it tough on the Bolts to play their next two at the Bell Centre, home of the Canadiens and their rampant fans. And while the atmosphere was not welcoming to the Lightning team, they certainly didn’t seem to take their game to another level which would be conducive for a win.
I suppose you can take the above in a negative light toward the Habs as it may appear that I am suggesting that Montreal’s success in the playoffs so far could be due to Tampa’s subpar performance…at least for playoffs hockey. The other argument would simply be that the Canadiens are playing so well that the Bolts cannot muster up any energy or confidence, so to speak, and as such appear to be playing at a lower level.
That said, I would like to give respect where respect’s due. The Montreal Canadiens have been playing some strong, united, hockey and have arguably secured themselves a spot in the quarterfinals (feel free to knock on wood if you’d like).
I don’t mean to sound biased in any way toward the Habs in this series, but I can’t help but feel that the Lightning have not really given 100% other than maybe their first game. They continue to find too much difficulty with any string of outlet passes, offensive zone cycles, and physicality. I expected Tampa to be much more physical on puck carriers than they have so far. Any team who wants to find success in the NHL playoffs needs to raise their level of grit and work ethic, or else they’ll find themselves down 3-0 in a series left scratching their heads.
It was reported that after dropping their second game at home, the Bolts held a player only meeting and, so I assumed, did their best to address what needed to be done in order to provide the Canadiens with a greater challenge. Then again, some of my friends who are fans argue that Montreal is playing so well that they are smothering Tampa in a way that doesn’t allow them to get anything going – I’ve watched enough of this team throughout the year to think otherwise.
Another level of credit which is deserved is toward Carey Price. Some expected that Price may not have been able to provide the top notch goaltending which the Canadiens would need to surpass Tampa and Steven Stamkos, but he has been great for them. Conversely, and while Lindback has been "good" for the Bolts, they could certainly use Ben Bishop right about now…
And speaking of Stamkos, I almost wonder if the fact that he has only been captain for a short period of time, and this being his first NHL Playoffs as captain could affect his play or the team’s leadership? It is very important when your team is down and out that your team can get behind their captain and turn things around.
While I can’t really say if there have been any issues with respect to leadership, personally, it could be reason for concern….maybe. And just to be clear, I think Stamkos was a great choice for captain.
Am I alone on this one?
What do you think?
On another note, how good has MacKinnon been!?
The 18 year old centerman has already registered 7pts in his first two games, and has certainly helped lead the Avalanche to their current 2-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild. In fact, This kid is on pace to tie Jaromir Jagr’s post season point totals. If he’s able to muster up another six points, he’ll be in some very good company indeed!
And again…how about those Sharks!? My gut was certainly right when deciding between those two! That series has been fun to watch, but I certainly expected a better output by the Kings…
That’s all for today, I will defer back to Calgary Flames news once the team moves into “offseason… mode.
Thanks for reading!