Habs Weekly: On The Brink Already
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Enthusiasm for Montreal’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993 went away rather quickly as the Habs already find themselves on the brink of elimination following a trio of losses to Tampa Bay.
Enthusiasm for Montreal’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993 went away rather quickly as the Habs already find themselves on the brink of elimination following a trio of losses to Tampa Bay.
We’re now two games into the Stanley Cup Final and a familiar problem has returned for the Habs. Their top scorers during the regular season have all suddenly stopped scoring and the end result is a 2-0 deficit to the Lightning.
While the offseason hasn’t arrived for the Habs just yet – there is a Stanley Cup Final to be played, after all – the draft and free agency are quickly approaching. Accordingly, it’s time to kick off our annual depth assessment series, beginning with the goalies.
For the first time in 28 years, the Habs participated in a Stanley Cup Final game on Monday night in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, they didn’t put up much of a fight in the opener as they fell 5-1.
A day after missing practice and being placed into COVID-19 protocol, Habs winger Joel Armia has received the green light to rejoin the team. He is on a flight to Tampa Bay and has not been ruled out for Monday’s series opener.
The Habs took care of a pending unrestricted free agent on Sunday, announcing the re-signing of winger Brandon Baddock to a one-year, two-way contract.
There were definitely some tense moments along the way but the Habs picked up two of three wins for the second straight week, earning them the Clarence Campbell Bowl for the first (and barring another year like this, only) time as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Final to take on Tampa Bay.
The Habs have made it to the Stanley Cup Final after an impressive series victory over Vegas. In honour of them winning in six games, here are six thoughts on the playoffs so far plus the final round that lies ahead.
The Habs took care of another pending free agent on Wednesday, this time in the front office as the team announced that John Sedgwick has signed a three-year contract extension.
The Habs took care of another one of their pending unrestricted free agents on Monday, announcing the re-signing of Laurent Dauphin to a one-year, two-way contract for next season.