“If the CH beats Tampa, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it to the finals.”

Raphael Simard
“If the CH beats Tampa, I wouldn’t be surprised if they make it to the finals.”
Credit: Mike Carlson/Getty Images

The Canadiens will play their next game tomorrow and will look to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

This series against the Lightning is probably the most entertaining one, and not just for fans of both teams. The team that emerges from this series has a strong chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

That was my prediction at the start of the playoffs, and Gilbert Delorme, on L'Antichambre, believes that if the Habs win, they have a good chance of reaching the Stanley Cup Final.

This isn't all that controversial, because even though Montreal doesn't have the most playoff experience—it's the youngest team in the 2026 playoffs—the team still finished sixth in the overall standings during the regular season.

They finished with as many points as Tampa Bay, which has been in the playoffs for a decade.

In the first two games of the series, we're also seeing a young group that isn't intimidated. It feels different from recent years…

If the Habs can continue to play well defensively and score goals by the bucketful like they did in the regular season, a spot in the final is within reach. If the team beats Florida, they'd then face the winner of the Sabres-Bruins series—two beatable teams.

The Hurricanes could very well be the opponent in the conference finals. They have the “easy path,” as they're currently facing the Senators (6th in the East) and should face the winner of the seventh (Penguins) and eighth (Flyers) seeds in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Montreal has had success against Carolina this season.


In a nutshell

– Strange.

– Cool.

– Well.

– Stay tuned.

– We want this to continue.

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