Well suck me sideways. This is certainly not the North final I was expecting. I had both of these teams losing in the first round. That just proves my theory that I am indeed an idiot. Instead of McDavid vs Matthews we get Hellebuyck vs Price. Not too shabby. Let’s take a look at how these two teams match up.
Forwards
Embed from Getty ImagesAfter watching Montreal come all the way back and beat Toronto I still don’t know what to make of the Habs forwards. They are certainly a gritty group built for playoff hockey, but something about them just doesn’t sit well with me. Once Cole Caufield was inserted into the line up the Suzuki line became a legit scoring threat. After that I feel the Habs are left with three 3rd lines. I suppose you could say they are well balanced. Unfortunately for them they do not have the ultra soft Matthews and Marner lining up across from them this round. The Scheifele line is easily the best in this series. They’re big, responsible defensively, and lethal in the offensive zone. I assume Montreal will try to match up the Danault line against them. That could be trouble if the Statsny line gets rolling. This season has been a coming out party for Nikolaj Ehlers. This guy is legit. I am looking for him to have a big series. He is my x factor. I think the Lowry line will be more than up to the task if they are matched up against the Suzuki line. That big bastard is tough to play against. Clear advantage for Winnipeg.
Defence
While Winnipeg has the advantage offensively, Montreal clearly has the better defence. Their top 4 of Chiarot, Weber, Edmundson, and Petry are all beasts. Petry is the smallest of the group at 6’3 and 208 pounds. Those pricks are likely all hung as well. I really believe the series will be decided based on who wins the majority of the battles in front of Carey Price. It is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Hopefully the refs let them play. For Winnipeg, Josh Morrissey has really come into his own the last few seasons. He was lost in the shuffle a bit early in his career. There is no doubt now that he is the main man on the Jets backend. After him this group is pretty ho hum in my books. Neal Pionk can chip in offensively, but is suspect in his own zone. The Canadiens could see a lot of success by getting pucks in deep on this group and establishing a good cycle game. Advantage Montreal.
Goaltending
Embed from Getty ImagesI bet all the goalie enthusiasts out there have tuned themselves up a few times these past few days knowing we are getting Hellebuyck vs Price. Sick bastards. There is not a lot to be said here. Out of the 3 goalies in the league who I feel can win multiple rounds on their own, 2 of them are in this series. I am a bigger fan of Carey Price now than I was circa 2015 when he was winning everything there is to be won. The way he doesn’t let a so so regular season affect him is fascinating to see. He knows he will turn it on when it matters most. He is the main reason the Habs are here. Hellebuyck is certainly no slouch himself. The last time he was between the pipes he was leading the Jets to a sweep over a couple guys named McDavid and Draisaitl. Maybe you’ve heard of them. He is a big reason they won that series. Plus he looks like a psychopath the way he moves his eyes during his pre game ritual. Who doesn’t love that. This is a tie in my books.
Prediction
Not a clue. The Habs are better defensively, but the Jets have a few lines that can dominate. As the old adage goes, offence wins championships. Jets in 7.