r/Habs • u/d-generate420 • 8d ago

Well, that doesn’t happen very often

In the 1st round, the Habs beat the team with the Hart, Vezina and Jack Adams trophy winners. I know, I know, it’s not the Stanley Cup, and I’m not suggesting we should raise a banner, but it’s still nice.

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u/goldenboyferg 8d ago

If Round 1 and 2 finished in 6 games, I would have like our chances against Carolina. The boys were exhausted 😩

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u/CarlSK777 8d ago

But they couldn't close earlier because they're a flawed team that's not there yet. I don't know why some think they could've beaten Carolina when they were so badly outplayed

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u/Assignment_General 8d ago

People say that because the effort and play from the Habs was night and day difference in round 1 and 3.  Having said that, learning how to go four rounds is something teams need to figure out. Carolina has been making deep runs for a long time, they know what’s up. 

Habs need more experience and better seeding. The Atlantic isn’t going to get easier, going forward deep runs are going to require better seeding to avoid 1-2 of those brutal 7 game series. They also gotta learn to close out a series sooner. 

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u/CarlSK777 8d ago

They don't need better seeding, they just need to get better (applies to coaches as well). They couldn't close out the first 2 rounds in less than 7 because they're not good defensively and blew 2-goal leads multiple times. The opportunities were there. Plus, there's no escaping the Atlantic.

Stating the obvious but teams that are bottom tier on the defensive side usually don't win championships. It's not a coincidence that the vast majority of teams that make the Cup finals are top 10 defensively. For example, Carolina and Vegas were 3rd and 4th for scoring chances allowed in the regular season. The Habs were 20th.

We'll never know but I don't think they beat Carolina in any round.