Long live the Bell Centre! The top line is terrible, but the Hurricanes avoid the worst

Maxime Truman
Long live the Bell Centre! The top line is terrible, but the Hurricanes avoid the worst
Credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

You thought that was it, but it wasn't.

I'm talking about a Saturday night playoff game at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens took their worst beating since December 9 in Tampa (6–1).

Clearly, Mr. Saturday Night was Rasmus Dahlin, not Cole Caufield.

Where was the energy? The killer instinct?

When Jake Evans' goal sent Alex Lyon out of the game, we all pretty much thought the same thing:
bring on the Hurricanes!

We had no idea that from that point on, the Sabres would score seven unanswered goals and the Canadiens, zero.

It looked like the Montrealers were burned out, drained, exhausted… or maybe they already saw themselves in the third round, just like their fans.

Will the Habs bounce back tonight in Buffalo? Let's just say the fans have already believed in it. The hours since the last loss have been long for Habs Nation. People are much less active on sports sites, on the radio, or on hockey influencers' Instagram and TikTok accounts. They're in (semi) mourning and are embarrassed to show their support for a team that let them down on Saturday night.

They're waiting for the first goal tonight…

Blame the Bell Centre, really?

We've heard all kinds of theories since Saturday night. The one I love to hate the most is the idea that the Bell Centre is too intimidating, demanding, and distracting… for the Habs players.

Come on, man! People who claim that have never traveled the world to watch a soccer game. In soccer, playing at home gives a team a HUGE advantage… and soccer fans—European, African, and South American—are 10 times more intimidating and passionate than North American hockey fans.

If the Habs have only two wins in six home playoff games, it's not because of their fans; it's because of their players. It's up to them to find a way to feed off the love of Montreal fans! How many players would dream of playing their home games in front of passionate Montreal fans?

Just two or three weeks ago, weren't we praising the fans packed into the Bell Centre for the love they showed Kirby Dach to help him get back on track?

Blaming the youth of the Montrealers, OK, but…

Yes, the Habs players are young—especially the key players—but we shouldn't overemphasize that aspect.

Why? Because the Sabres aren't really any older. Against the Lightning, I bought into the idea that youth was a distinguishing factor that could play a significant role in the outcome of the games (and the series), but against the Sabres, no.

The average age of the Habs players last Saturday was 25.7 years, and that of the Sabres was 26.4 years. And neither team has much playoff experience!

In fact, in that regard, I think the advantage lies with Montreal.

Blame the referees? Nah!

Have the officials been good since the start of the playoffs? I don't think so.

However, I think they've been “average” or bad in a way that's fair to both teams. They've called “soft” penalties on both sides and let some slide on both sides.

In my opinion, the officiating hasn't been a factor, even if it hasn't been very good. The Habs players pretty much beat themselves in their three losses to the Sabres.

If the Habs win

If the Canadiens manage to beat the Sabres tonight in Buffalo, they'll start their next series on Thursday in Raleigh. They'll play their second game on Saturday, then return to Montreal on Sunday.

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will play their first game after a 12-day break. They'll have had time to rest and tend to a few minor injuries… but they might also lack rhythm. It's often tough for a team coming off a bye week…

The Hurricanes have played eight playoff games (eight wins), while the Habs will already be playing their 14th game tonight. Wow!

It's worth noting that if the Habs had won on Saturday, the series against the Hurricanes would have started tomorrow and there would have been a game at the Bell Centre on Saturday. I can't even imagine how difficult (and expensive) it would have been for the Hurricanes to book around 40 hotel rooms that meet NHL standards during the Montreal F1 Grand Prix weekend.

Now, they'll arrive on Sunday, when plenty of hotel rooms will be available. Or they'll go to Buffalo.

Basically, the Canadiens were just being nice to their best friend, the Hurricanes' owner! #LOL

If the Habs throw in the towel

The last two days have been long. Very long. It seems like we've all forgotten the regular season and the Canadiens' first 13 playoff games, that's how one-sided Saturday night's loss was.

If the Canadiens lose tonight in Buffalo, it's going to be a long summer. We won't have any more playoff games to watch for a year (or more)… and we'll be left with the memory of the playoff collapse, rather than the team's superb run.

Except that in the medium term, this might actually be the best thing that could happen: the Habs' front office wouldn't be able to turn a blind eye and would have to add some muscle—a second-line center, a veteran goaltender, a top-four defenseman, and a power-forward type of winger.

Then, the Canadiens will become a true contender capable of defeating the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Final.

Because let's be honest: the Habs don't yet have what it takes to hope to win four out of seven games against Denver.

The first line needs to step up

I know many people don't like this statistic, but it speaks for itself: Juraj Slafkovsky (-8), Cole Caufield (-7), and Nick Suzuki (-5) are the only three players, along with Joe Veleno (-1), to have a negative plus-minus rating since the start of the playoffs.

Cole Caufield (1), Nick Suzuki (1), and Juraj Slafkovsky (0) have only two goals at five-on-five since the start of the playoffs.

When Alex Newhook (5), Kirby Dach (4), Josh Anderson (3), and Alexandre Texier (3) are your top five-on-five forwards, you're in deep trouble.

And when Newhook (7), Texier (6), Zachary Bolduc (6), and Jake Evans (6) are your top five-on-five point scorers too!

(Credit: Natural Stat Trick)

The first line needs to step up; Juraj Slafkovsky first! You can't make three mistakes on the same shift to start a game as important as last Saturday's.

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