Doesn’t it just figure, even the team with the best record in the NHL this past regular season is having a hard time in the playoffs. The irony is this team is based in Washington, D.C. area, the very place where a great many people have questionable faith about is going on in that location.The same has to hold true for Capitals fans, wondering how this opening round series has gotten so screwed up to force a seventh and decided game.
The Montreal Canadiens are sort of like the “Tea Party”, upstarts not willing to settle for the status quo and are fighting for change. Their leader is goalie Jaroslav Halak. He’s led a conservative movement that brings back a past of time gone by.
Montreal has picked their spots to score in winning three times in this series and their defense has been more relentless in attacking the Capitals than Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann combined.
When these types of upsets occur or potentially happen in the playoffs, the netminder is always in the middle. Halak has stopped 90 of Washington’s last 92 shot attempts and the Canadiens penalty kill defense has thwarted the Caps like a state trooper, leaving them with one goal in the net in 30 tries.
Montreal will certainly have confidence if not the oddsmakers support with consecutive upset victories and two wins at the Verizon Center in this series. The Canadiens are +240 money line underdogs with total again at six. Montreal is 6-3 on the road game when the total is six or more this season and believes in their goaltender after he had unfathomable 53 saves in Game 6.
“It’ll be on ESPN Classic tomorrow as one of the greatest goalie performances,” said the Habs Michael Cammalleri who scored twice Monday night. “He was making saves that were just exceptional. I couldn’t have been more impressed.”
Cammalleri and his linemates could care less if Washington is ginormous -290 ML chalk or is 11-1 revenging a three or more goal loss.
“Everybody picked them to win and they’re supposed to win,” Cammalleri said. “The pressure’s on them but at the same time we don’t feel any moral victories. We’re going to go to Washington excited about playing a hockey game and we’re going to play our best game and let the results take care of themselves.”
Washington remains convinced they will solve Halak and the Montreal defense with their barrage of shots. “The dam’s going to break,” Capitals defenseman Joe Corvo said. “He can’t save 60 shots again so we’ll just put as many shots as we can on him and see what happens next game.”
The Caps will make a few minor adjustments, seeking their 12th win in 13 outings after a two or more Under’s. They will believe in their captain Alex Ovechkin, “...It’s always this team being good and we’ll find a way to break it and win it. No panic, nothing.”
The total is the key to Game 7. Washington is 3-0 when the total score has reached six or higher and is 17-5 OVER at home revenging a loss having scored one or fewer goals. (Average total score of seven) Montreal has won all three contests when the number fell beneath six and is 14-6 UNDER away after a home game. (Avg. total of 4.9)
Washington will try to avoid the embarrassment of being the first top seed to lose in the opening round since this playoff format was put in place in 1994.
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