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The Canadiens are no match for the Capitals (literally)
Maxime Truman
The Canadiens are no match for the Capitals (literally)
Credit: Getty Images
Yesterday’s defeat hurt. And it still hurts this morning.

The Habs led 2-1 with less than six minutes left in the third period… and ended up losing the game 5-3.

The Bell Centre could not have been hotter, but it quickly cooled down following Brandon Duhaime’s goal (and the other two in empty net).

Since the start of the series, both teams have scored 11 goals against one goaltender (the Capitals have added three in empty net situations).

The Canadiens have taken 119 shots and the Caps 111.

The Montrealers handed out 140 checks and the Caps, 131.

“In short, we dominated the Capitals, Max?”

Not necessarily!

In fact, we dominated the Capitals in Game #3. Nikita Kucherov would say we won our Stanley Cup on Friday night, even though we’re in danger of losing the series 4-1. You know, when your fans rip down traffic poles after their team’s only playoff win..

In the other games, we managed to stay in the game – which is a feat in itself when you’ve finished 17th overall and you’re playing against the second-ranked team – but we just couldn’t make our mark.

“That’s because of the referees, Max!”

Yes… but no. I’m 43 years old and I’ve been told since I was old enough to talk that, in the playoffs, the NHL brings out a new rule book. A much slimmer book from which most of the pages have been removed.

I know it… you know it… your father knows it… in the playoffs, referees put away their whistles.

Do I think that’s right? No !

But that’s the way it is. Strong teams have an advantage, as was the case for the Montrealers in 2021. That’s the way it’s always been, and that’s not going to change any time soon. Gary Bettman likes to see the best referees in the world manage their games this way. Even if it means handing out $5,000 fines and warning both teams’ executives to look good the next day..

Blaming the referees for the Habs‘ losses is like blaming Valérie Plante for your three flat tires this spring. It may make you feel better, but there will still be potholes as big as craters in April 2026..

A wise old man once told me: “Max, in life, you have to have the courage to change the things you can, the serenity to accept the things you can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

We’re not going to change the referees, but there are a number of things about the Habs that need to change if they’re to succeed in the playoffs in the years to come. Because playoff field hockey is a completely different sport from regular-season field hockey. Small, talented teams may succeed in the regular season, but they collapse 99 times out of 100 in the playoffs.

Jeff Gorton lost his job in New York because he built a team filled with talent, but whose toughness and size weren’t playoff caliber. I hope he’s taking notes now, because some of his players are excellent right now, but they need better support.

What does the Habs need to succeed in the playoffs?

1. You can’t rely on just one offensive trio. Yesterday, when Nick Suzuki’s trio wasn’t on the ice, you knew the Habs weren’t going to score. Evans, Newhook and Demidov are not a quality second trio. Neither are Dvorak, Gallagher and Anderson. You need a real second trio. Good playoff teams rely on two or three offensive trios, not just one.

You’re going to need a real second center alongside Ivan Demidov and possibly a big winger to balance it all out. Is Kirby Dach that winger? Josh Anderson? I have my doubts..

In both the regular season and the playoffs, the Habs have really been “led” by their young players: Slafkovsky, Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson and so on. This is extremely promising for the future… but we’ll have to surround them better.

We just have an offensive trio. An o**i good trio, but still, just one! And at the end of the game, when you’ve been using all three guys all night, don’t be surprised if there’s no gas left in the tank..

2. We’ re going to have to beef up the group. On average, each Capitals player is two to three inches taller than the average Canadiens player, while weighing three to five pounds more.

I don’t know of any contact/physical sport where size and height aren’t competitive advantages. Soccer, boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, judo, you name it.

Yesterday, Tom Wilson handed out – with the CH leading 2-1 – a check that turned the game on its head. And probably the series too..

Did Wilson’s feet leave the ice? Looks like it..

Was it the check to the head? At the very least, it was a hit to the neck, not the shoulder. But Wilson is much taller than Carrier… and the referees aren’t going to change. It’s up to Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes to adapt this summer, with the financial baggage they’ll have on hand.

Alex Ovechkin destroys Jake Evans early in the game..

And Connor McMichael clearly tried to hit Cole Caufield in the face with his elbow..

Yes, maybe the Canadiens’ players handed out more checks than the Capitals’ last night, but when it comes to the big hits that really hurt and affect the game, the Capitals clearly had the edge.

Admittedly, the presence of Arber Xhekaj didn’t stop Wilson, Ovechkin and McMichael from having a field day on the Bell Centre ice. Wasn’t he supposed to be the Sheriff?

Why didn’t he go and give Ovechkin, Wilson or McMichael a message?

I’m repeating myself, but we’re going to have to grow the group, and not just dress a big guy. Playoff field hockey is a different kettle of fish… and not every player in the club has the courage of Josh Anderson.


Extended

– Alex Ovechkin has three goals and one assist in four games ( plus-3 rating). And he’s the player with the most body checks (16) of any two teams. He’s having quite a series, even if some will try to tell you otherwise..

– The Canadiens must now try to win three games at best in the East, without Samuel Montembeault and probably Alexandre Carrier, and with a young team that lacks depth and energy in the tank. It’s all over now.

– Unlike Richard Labbé, I’m incapable of summing up yesterday’s game in bad bounces. I know Richard doesn’t like the physical aspect of men’s ice hockey, but I believe the game was decided by the Capitals’ strength, size and depth. Not on bad bounces..

– I hope Jeff Gorton finds a way to add muscle to his bottom three and the blue line. You can’t expect to win in the playoffs with so many small players: Caufield, Suzuki, Newhook, Evans, Gallagher, Hutson, Carrier, Struble, Dvorak at the limit..

Right now, the Habs don’t have the size. Literally..

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