What a Series, What a Team

After an absolutely epic seven game series, which was one of the closest both statistically and just from watching, best displays of hockey I have seen in years, the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning delivered an all time matchup. And in the end, the Canadiens prevailed, winning the series 7 games.

And they did it behind probably the worst offensive game I have seen them play all season. They registered nine shots on net and somehow still won the game. That is all thanks to goaltender Jakub Dobes, who was absolutely brilliant throughout this series, but especially in the final three games.

Game 5, he was unbelievable, shutting things down making ten saves in the final few minutes to secure the road win.

Game 6, even in a loss, it was not on him. A 1-0 overtime game where he went head to head with Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is one of the greatest goalies ever, and nearly matched him save for save.

Then in Game 7, maybe the masterpiece of his young career so far, the rookie kept Montreal alive after a rough start, especially in the second period where they were completely outplayed by a great Lightning team.

Dobes ended Game 7 making 29 saves on 30 shots, and ends the first round with .923 save percentage and a 2.03 GAA.

The Canadiens are moving, and that is mainly because Dobes was sensational.

Now what does this win mean? Well, I believe it signifies a changing of the guard in the Eastern Conference.

For years, it has been controlled by the Florida teams, the Lightning and the Florida Panthers. You have also had teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, who have been consistent contenders and still are, now up 1-0 in their second round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.

And sure, those teams will still be heard from going forward (especially the Panthers), but we are in a new era of hockey out East.

Now, we get Montreal Canadiens versus Buffalo Sabres in round two. And honestly, it feels perfect for the NHL.

These are two of the most passionate fan bases in the sport. You could argue they are number one and number two. Over what I expect to be a long series, maybe 6 or 7 games, the atmosphere in both buildings is going to be unreal. Montreal and Buffalo fans are going to go back and forth, trying to outdo each other, trying to intimidate the opposition while lifting their own team.

I can't wait to see it play out.

As a Habs fan, I am going to take tonight to celebrate, and then think about Buffalo tomorrow. But right now, I am just so proud of this team.

When you look at this rebuild year by year, it has been steady growth. After losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, where they were not in Tampa’s class and after Carey Price left due to injuries, they committed to a direction. They embraced the rebuild around Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield to help lead the next generation of Habs.

In 2022, Juraj Slafkovsky joins as the first overall pick who has gotten better year and is now one of the best power forwards in all of the NHL. In 2023, they take David Reinbacher fifth overall, and while he has only played a couple of games, he has shown flashes. In 2024, Ivan Demidov falls to them, and he has been unbelievable as a rookie this season.

Last year, they surprised everyone and made the playoffs. This year, they take another step and win a round.

Now they are four wins away from an Eastern Conference Final appearance.

It feels significant and important to me, because if they had blown a 3-2 series lead and failed to win a series where they never trailed, there would have been questions. Not major ones, but real concerns about whether this group could handle playoff pressure.

Instead, they answered that and got the job done.

Even though their top players struggled at five on five, guys like Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Slafkovsky, and Demidov, they still found ways to contribute. Demidov was unbelievable in Game 6, Suzuki stepped up in Game 7 with a goal, strong defensive play, and a massive game sealing block. Slafkovsky made his presence felt physically all series. Caufield started to find his rhythm as the series went on and should be due for more in the next round.

But the backbone of this team right now is the defense and goaltending.

Lane Hutson has been phenomenal, taking another leap and looking like the best player on the team at times. Even the depth defensemen have stepped up. Mike Matheson, frustrating at times, still finds ways to make plays. Kaiden Guhle has been excellent defensively. Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Alex Carrier have all embraced their roles.

And getting Noah Dobson back in Game 7 after missing the first six games was a huge boost, and he looked comfortable right away.

Going back up front, the depth has bought in as well. Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier, all contributing and making plays within the system that Martin St. Louis has built.

This team cares about each other. The culture is real, and it keeps getting better.

There was a time this season when they could not close games or defend leads. In this series, they flipped that completely. They defended. They locked games down. At points, we were even asking how the offense could help the defense, which says everything about how far they have come.

This has been a year by year, month by month, game by game progression, and now we're seeing it all play out in real time.

Martin St. Louis, Kent Hughes, and Jeff Gorton have built something special with this team.

The future is bright in Montreal, and it feels like they are just getting started.

This is now marks another successful season, another step forward, as they chase a 25th Stanley Cup in what is now a wide open Eastern Conference. The team before the playoffs put out a hype video essentially asking the question, "Why not the Habs?"

I will say it again. Why not?

I am not guaranteeing anything, but you cannot tell me it is crazy.

Respect to the Tampa Bay Lightning. What a series and what a run they've had. But it's a new time in the Atlantic.

It's time for the Canadiens and the Sabres. And it starts Wednesday night in Buffalo. And no matter how long this series goes, the atmosphere is going to be electric.

What a series. What a team.

Bring on Buffalo.

Go Habs Go.