from Jack Todd at the Montreal Gazette,

The Habs finished second overall in the regular season and the loss to Tampa did not represent a playoff fail. They did beat a very hot Ottawa Senators team. They were up against a speedy, skilled opponent in the Lightning and they showed guts and class to come back from three games down and win two. When you win six games in the post-season, that’s not a fail.

But the window has to be forced open now, the stretch when the Canadiens should have a legitimate shot at winning a Stanley Cup every season from now until the end of the decade with Price in goal.

It won’t be easy. That fact seems to elude fans and commentators alike. There are 29 other teams out there now and at least 15 of them are somewhere between pretty good and outstanding. The Habs lost to a team with two brilliant forward lines, a towering defence and an outstanding goaltender. There’s no shame in that.

Attention now has to turn to beating the Lightning next time. Winning hockey’s ultimate prize involves careful attention to detail, a significant effort to put together a better offence without sacrificing too much on the blue line, finding a specialist to ignite the power play, establishing Galchenyuk at centre....

If you’re inclined to bitch about a 110-point season, look on the bright side: You could be cheering for that debacle down the 401. Now those fans have reason to complain.

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