Two Narratives About the Canadiens That Are Pissing Me Off Right Now

There is no way to put this lightly, the Montreal Canadiens, over the last two games in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite getting both Games 2 and 3 to overtime, have been absolutely awful offensively.

After dominating Game 1 with a 6-2 win, the Canadiens have looked like a completely different team. Because of how bad they’ve played against the Carolina Hurricanes only registering 12 and 13 shots in Games 2 and 3, there have been a lot of narratives surrounding this Canadiens playoff run over the last month.

As a Habs fan, I can acknowledge this team is not playing well right now. I can acknowledge I probably got overly confident in this series after Game 1. And I can acknowledge that the Carolina Hurricanes have done a great job adjusting while the Canadiens have not.

But there are a couple of narratives surrounding this team that have really pissed me off.

The first one being that their playoff run has been "lucky".

The Canadiens have earned their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. It is not luck that they're here.

Against Tampa Bay in the first round, they never trailed in the series in terms of games. And actually within games, the Lightning only had a lead for 27 minutes total throughout that entire series. The Canadiens earned their way through that series.

Sure, they only got nine shots on net in Game 7, and Jakub Dobes helped them tremendously in that game to get them to the second round. If we're talking specifically about that one game, were the Canadiens probably lucky to win it? Yeah, probably. You're not going to win many hockey games with that amount of shots on net, as we're seeing now.

But for the series as a whole, I think they were the better team than Tampa Bay, and there’s a reason they beat them and were never trailing in the series.

Then you move on to Round 2 against Buffalo.

Again, sure, they were outplayed in Games 6 and 7 and still won the series. But can we also remember they won Game 2 by a score of 5-1, Game 3 by a score of 6-2, and Game 5 by a score of 6-3?

That is not luck.

I still believe the Canadiens were the better team in that series and found a way to win, which is why they're here.

So while this series has been awful over the last two games, they were not lucky to get here. They're a legitimately good hockey team.

I just think right now they're running out of gas.

The wear and tear of two seven-game series (where they had chances to close both series out at home in Game 6 and didn't do it ) I believe is starting to show.

Then the second narrative that has really started to piss me off, specifically from Habs fans, is this idea that there’s a lack of effort.

I'm not seeing a lack of effort. I'm seeing a team that is confused, scared, and tired.

That is different from a lack of effort.

I can tell they're trying. They're just getting frustrated.

Jakub Dobes, again, has been sensational for them. But I am not going to agree with any Habs fan saying they're down 2-1 because of a lack of effort from the rest of the team.

I think this falls on coaching, not being willing to adjust, and simply giving credit where credit is due, the Carolina Hurricanes have been excellent defensively over the last two games.

The Canadiens haven't gotten many opportunities. It's not because they aren't trying. They just look confused. They don't know what to do, or they simply won't adjust systematically.

So any Habs fan saying the effort isn't there, I think that's just wrong.

And can we please remember something?

This series isn't over.

Sure, they're down 2-1, and if they continue to play like they have over the last two games, they won't win another game in this series.

But it's still just 2-1.

They're still just three wins away from the Stanley Cup Final.

Yes, they're also two losses away from being eliminated, but the Canadiens are not done.

I've seen a group led by Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield come back from a 3-1 deficit before against Toronto in the first round in 2021.

Would I be as confident in that happening again? No.

Am I going to say it's impossible, even if they lose tomorrow night? No.

Because I've seen two of their star players do it before.

So are things looking good right now? No.

Is it over? No.

As a Canadiens fan, I'm not losing hope and I'm not saying it's over. I'm saying they've put themselves in a really tough position and they need to find a way to get pucks on net to even have a chance at getting back in this series.

But they were not lucky to get here.

They are a good hockey team.

There's a reason they're here.

And I'm not blaming this on a lack of effort.

They are trying.

They just have no idea what the hell to do.