New Canadiens Connection: Series Breakdown

As the Montreal Canadiens get set to open their first-round playoff series against Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s pretty clear what the overall narrative is going to be: they’re the underdog in this matchup. This is despite the Canadiens finishing the regular season with 106 points (48-24-10 record) for the first time since the 2016-’17 campaign.

We’re witnessing at a Lightning team with considerable experience, not just in terms of individual players, but as a group that’s been through deep playoff runs and understands what it takes this time of year. For Montreal, this is a very different kind of test. As the pace of the game and physical play ramps up, and the margin for error will become smaller.

But at the same time, this isn’t a situation where fans just throw their hands in the air and think, ‘we give up, there’s no path forward.’ There are areas where the Canadiens can compete and succeed. There are things they can do well enough to make this a real series if they’re able to execute consistently.

So the question becomes less about whether they can win, but instead how they need to go about doing it.

This Week’s Show

In this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast, we ask what do you think is the clearest path for the Canadiens to win this first round playoff series?

NEW PODCAST: Can the Montreal Canadiens Solve the Lightning? Breaking Down the Series | Canadiens Connection ep 396

We also discussed these important topics on this week’s episode of the podcast:

What is the timeline for the return of the Canadiens second best defenseman?
Who is the top drafted NHL goaltending prospect?
Why did Michael Hage decide to return to the NCAA next season?

CC Question of the Week: What is the biggest advantage the Canadiens have in this matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning?

It is our eighth season, with a new episode of the podcast dropping every Saturday afternoon. Be sure to subscribe using your favorite podcast app! Or watch our episodes on YouTube!