Statistically speaking, the CH has a (very) good chance of winning on Monday

Michaël Petit
Statistically speaking, the CH has a (very) good chance of winning on Monday
Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

Since the start of the playoffs, all Montreal Canadiens fans have expected to see fairly easy wins at the Bell Centre.

In fact, it's been quite the opposite. The Habs are 2-4 at home (just like the Buffalo Sabres, for that matter). No one expected to see an 8-3 rout by the visitors at the Bell Centre. Especially not on a Saturday night…

Fortunately for the Montreal club, things are much more positive when they're on the road, as Pierre LeBrun reports in a recent article.

Since the start of the playoffs, the Habs have a 5-2 record on the road, which could be a huge boost for the team heading into Game 7 on Monday night.

However, it's not just the effectiveness of Martin St-Louis's squad on the road that gives them the edge for this Game 7.

Over the past 16 weeks, the Habs have lost two consecutive games only once. In fact, they're excellent at bouncing back after a loss.

As Grant McCagg mentions in the tweet above, goaltender Jakub Dobes has never lost in the playoffs after suffering a defeat.

The Canadiens have been bouncing back very well after losing a game for about four months now, and it's important to mention that on the eve of Game 7, which will take place in Buffalo.

As I mentioned earlier, no one expected the Habs to get blown out at home, but in reality, the team has been much more successful on the road… Even more so after a loss.

That's why the team needs to capitalize on the “home-ice advantage” to end this series and advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals.

The pressure from the home crowd is certainly a factor, even though almost everyone believed that playing at home was solely an advantage for the Habs.

Peter DeBoer was asked exactly what he thought about home-ice advantage in the playoffs:

“There's less pressure (on the road). Players generally play a simpler game, which is essential in the playoffs.” – Peter DeBoer

And it's worth noting that DeBoer has a lot of experience as a head coach in the playoffs.

In Pierre LeBrun's article, other coaches also commented on the subject, saying that it was simply easier to play on the road.

The Habs could certainly use this heavy loss as a springboard to bounce back and take advantage of being on the road to get back to basics by playing simple hockey.

It wouldn't be surprising, however, to see Martin St-Louis make changes to his lineup. He'd especially need to shake things up on the penalty kill, since it's really not working for the Habs in the playoffs.


In a nutshell

– If there's one player to blame for the latest loss, it's the big Slovak, who had one of the worst games of his career.

– Congratulations to the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

– Interesting.

– Indeed, that's exactly how the Western Conference Finals matchup was supposed to go.

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