The Montreal Canadians have come a long way since the early days of the 2020-21 NHL season. This season was different than any other. This was due to the NHL cutting the regular season games from 82 to 56. Not only has this season been different, but so have the Canadians. Here’s why.
The Candians are Just One Game Away From Making It to the Finals
Game 5 for the Habs was huge. They picked up a crucial 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, the team favored to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. With the Habs’ Game 5 win, the Knights are on the brink of elimination.
At this point, the Knights are probably going into panic mode. They know that they will have to make a strong effort in tonight’s game if they want to stay alive in the race for the Stanley Cup Trophy.
On the other hand, the Habs can feel comfortable knowing all they need to do is give tonight’s game 150% and they could be well on their way to making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
However, it is important that the Habs don’t get “too comfortable.” The Knights will certainly be looking for revenge and will be desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive.
There is no doubt that the Knights will try to pound the Habs in anyway they can. A lot is at stake during tonight’s big matchup.
In addition, the Knights’ Game 5 loss means Montreal has won their second win on the road at Vegas and it has worked in their favor. The Habs have now taken a 3-2 series lead and, to make things better for them, Game 6 is a home game.
Keys to the Game
This won’t be an easy game for the Knights. They are facing a pretty impressive team on the road in front of thousands of fans who will be cheering and supporting the Habs
So, what are the keys to the game for the Knights? Well, for one, they will need to amp up their offense. This is speaking directly about the team’s forwards, such as Max Pacioretty. He scored a third period goal against the Habs, his former team.
Then there’s Mark Stone, who didn’t have a very productive night. He gave away the puck on multiple occasions and hasn’t been able to pick up a point in the entire series, so far.
The Knights have scored just 11 goals over a span of five games.
The first key to the game would be for the men in gold to step up to the plate and play stronger offense. They will need to avoid laying back too much, as this will only cause the Habs to see an opportunity to strick back and capitalize. That’s pretty much what happened during the last game.
Now, on the Habs’ side, they were able to block a total of 18 shots. This is a big difference from the Knights, who only blocked eight.
Clearly, the Habs have been making more productivity during this series. They seem to be on the right track and their game-playing style is working in their favor.
Tonight’ game will determine if the Habs get to advance to the next round or if the Knights keep their playoff chances alive.
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