Know Your Foe...
Carolina and Montreal met three times during the regular season, with Martin St. Louis' roster claiming victory in all three. The only Eastern Conference team to sweep the Canes during the campaign, it's a reflection of a club that's been on the rise for several seasons and has proven worthy of being one of the last four teams standing.
"We don't want that trend to continue," Rod Brind'Amour said of the losses. "They're a better team [than they were]. I think they've gotten better. That's kind of the obvious answer. I hope that doesn't translate."
Given the amount of time between series, there was no shortage of time to analyze what went well and what didn't during the trio of meetings.
"I thought we actually played pretty well in those three games. We go back through them, and if you really break it down, their best player was unbelievable in those three games, or at least two of them," Brind'Amour continued. "You definitely learn a little bit from them, but I think, just in general, their team has gotten better. That's obvious. They wouldn't be here if they weren't."
Take your pick of who Brind'Amour was referencing when calling out Montreal's best player.
Was it goaltender Jakub Dobes, who turned in a .922 save percentage in five games against Carolina this season? Selke Trophy finalist and 101-point scorer Nick Suzuki? 51-goal scorer Cole Caufield? 22-year-old unicorn Juraj Slafkovsky, who had five points in three games against Carolina? Rookie sensation Ivan Demidov? 2025 Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson?
You get the gist, it's a talented group.
"They had a great season. They're a good team, obviously. They're a high-pressure team. They're fast. They've got a good goalie. They've got a good power play. They don't give you much time, and they make it hard on you to get anywhere on the ice and get moving forward. That's what good teams do," Jordan Staal said with appreciation.
The youngest roster to advance to the conference finals in 33 years, the Habs are not being overlooked by their opponent.
"There's no reason why we wouldn't see them do as well as they have in the playoffs, because the way they play is a playoff, grinding game, and it showed in those first two series and against two good teams that they beat. It's going to be a great challenge," Staal continued.
Earning victory will require Carolina's best.
"I think they play a pretty good stress game, similar to us. They got the puck out pretty clean, and they have high-skill guys that can make you pay," Sean Walker chimed in. "We're going to try and limit their chances, keep them off the power play, and stick to their game."
Staying out of the box will certainly be key for a variety of reasons.
As Carolina averages being shorthanded five times per game in these playoffs, Montreal's power play is converting at a 25.0% clip through 14 games.
"They've been dynamic. They've got dynamic players. All five of those guys, in their own right, are elite at what they do. Then you put them out together in those roles, and I think they feed off each other really well," Brind'Amour said of the Canadiens' man advantage. "They're in sync and at the end of the day, power play is about skill, and they have it."
Carolina knows it'll have to avoid a parade to the penalty box to be successful, but it'll still have to continue to play a hard game, including getting to the difficult areas of the ice.
The Canes felt they did so in the most recent meeting between the two sides, which came on Mar. 29 in Raleigh. Although it still stands as Carolina's most recent regulation loss, the Canes recorded 100 shot attempts that night (NatStatTrick), tied for the most by any team in a game this season.
"I think they have a goaltender that's playing really good. They limit a lot of chances to the perimeter. They do a good job of clogging up the zone there in the middle. So we're going to look to obviously get inside that, get more guys at the net, pucks, and bodies," Walker added. "If we're getting 100 shots per night, things are going to go in our favor."
