from Stu Cowan at Hockey Inside/Out,
Throughout a campaign that saw the Canadiens put more wins together than any other season in 26 years, they’ve been dogged by a question: what if you face Tampa Bay in the playoffs?
The Lightning dominated Montreal at every turn this year, winning all five games they played against the Canadiens, including one in overtime. Now the question that’s lingered for months has become a reality. The doomsday scenario that so many fans and pundits feared is upon us and the Habs say they’re happy to try to prove the naysayers wrong.
“If people feel that strongly about how badly we match up against them then I hope we can prove that we can beat a team like this in the playoffs,” Max Pacioretty said after practice Thursday in Brossard. “It’s extra motivation. I sat here since we beat Ottawa answering questions like, ‘What if you play Tampa? You don’t match up well against Tampa,’ but the playoffs are a whole other situation. We have to make it uncomfortable for them. … It’s a tough task but it’s what we have to do.”
The Canadiens, as we’re so often reminded by the team’s management, are a young squad and one that seems uncomfortable in any other role than underdog. Despite finishing first in their division, the Canadiens played the “us against the world” card as they faced Ottawa in the opening round of the playoffs. Now they’ll use this mindset to try to unseat the National Hockey League’s most prolific offence.
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