by Erik M. Dell

Created on: April 20, 2008

The Montreal Canadiens are a storied franchise rich in tradition. For all intensive purposes they are the New York Yankees of hockey. Their 24 cups are first by a long shot in the league. The 2008 Canadiens finished one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins to claim the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. So what's in store for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2008 NHL playoffs?

The powerhouse Canadiens find themselves in an awkward position this post-season. After being ahead 3-1 they blew the next two games to the scrappy Bruins. The series is now tied for a final game in Montreal. The atmosphere in the Molson Center is going to be unbelievable. To understand the Canadiens peril we need to take a closer look at the team and how they got here.

Montreal is a good team but the season total may be a bit misleading. Even though they finished the regular season first in the east they are ill-equipped to deal with a seven game series. Carey Price is good and is the real deal, however he is still extremely young. A lack of veteran goaltending is not the greatest problem. The team lacks depth to go far in the playoffs. Alexei Kovalev is one of the best snipers in the league and led the Canadiens in points. Roman Hamrlik is a veteran defensemen with some miles. Saku Koivu is without question a great leader. Aside from those players there are some guys with grit and determination but hardly a solid bunch. Without depth you can't get far in the playoffs.

With that said it's no surprise the Bruins snuck up on the Canadiens. There is still a rivalry among the original six teams and that shouldn't be underestimated. Bottom line is that Montreal should have had a shorter series but they didn't take the Bruins seriously. Leading up to the trade deadline it was rumored that Montreal was the frontrunner for the Marian Hossa sweepstakes. The addition of Hossa would have made the Canadiens a more complete team.

In the end the Canadiens are a good team. They will win against the Bruins in the seventh game in a complete rout. After that it's anybody's guess but one thing is for sure, the team you see is not built for the long haul and they will struggle in any seven game series. Montreal will exit in six or seven games in round two of the playoffs.

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