Playing style: “Montreal is the best matchup for Vegas”

Vincent Larue
Playing style: “Montreal is the best matchup for Vegas”
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Canadiens' run continues to surprise.

But in Vegas, some seem to have already made up their minds.

According to an article published in The Athletic, several observers close to the Golden Knights believe that the Canadiens represent a more favorable matchup than the Hurricanes in a potential Stanley Cup Final.

The idea behind this? Montreal's style of play would be a better fit for what Vegas likes to face.

Honestly, it's not completely crazy.

The Canadiens play with tremendous speed, emotion, and opportunism. They're a team capable of winning with 17 shots… or even fewer. We saw that again recently. But Vegas, for its part, loves to control the tempo, impose a physical style of play, and stifle opposing attacks in the neutral zone.

On paper, that does indeed set up a matchup that favors the Golden Knights.

The Hurricanes, on the other hand, play a much more aggressive style of forechecking. It's intense, structured, and above all, very physically demanding over a long series. Carolina constantly forces turnovers and spends its time in the opponent's zone. Vegas probably prefers to avoid that kind of confrontation. We mustn't forget that, so far, the Canes have lost only one game in the playoffs.

The funny thing about all this?

The Canadiens are surely hearing all of this.

That team has literally been fueled by a lack of respect since the start of the playoffs.

People said the Lightning had too much experience.

Then people said the Sabres were too strong.

Same story against the Hurricanes with their depth and style of play.

The result? Montreal is still alive today.

What's interesting is that the Canadiens still won both of their matchups against Vegas this season.

Obviously, a Stanley Cup Final would be a completely different story.

Vegas has a roster built for that moment. Mark Stone, Jack Eichel, and Mitch Marner are playing extremely well right now. Marner leads the series in points with 21, followed by his teammate Jack Eichel with 18.

But watch out.

Many also thought the Canadiens' style would never survive playoff hockey.

Yet here they are, right now.


In a nutshell

– The fans are still out in full force.

– The guys are ready.

– Seriously.

– We had a feeling this was coming.

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