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For the first time in a long time, expectations were high for the Canadiens heading into this season.
“At the end of (last) season, Marc (Bergevin) told me where all the holes are on our roster and he filled every single one of them with the new players,” team owner/president Geoff Molson told former Canadien Chris Nilan during an interview on TSN 690 Radio before this season started. “So expectations, I think, are pretty high. I think hope is really high and I couldn’t ask for anything better because I couldn’t have answered that question in the same way a year ago and now I can. And so I think that our fans have something to look forward to and we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
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After enjoying two days off following the end of their regular season, the Canadiens hit the ice for practice Saturday morning at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard to begin preparations for their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The forward lines head coach Dominique Ducharme set up gave an indication of what the lineup will look like when the series begins next Thursday night in Toronto (7:30 p.m., CBC SN, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM). Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Cole Caufield and Michael Frolik were wearing grey jerseys and were on the fifth line, indicating they will be healthy scratches. All the other forwards were wearing red or white jerseys.
Oilers don t break a sweat vs. Canucks with their sights fixed on playoffs
Leon Draisaitl had two goals, Connor McDavid two assists as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-1. | May 5, 2021, 2:49 AM
May 5, 2021, 2:49 AM
EDMONTON There was a time when the Sedin twins were the cycle and the Edmonton Oilers were the track.
When the Vancouver Canucks needed a goal, Henrik and Daniel simply hopped over the boards and furnished one. As simple as putting together a Billy bookcase.
Either Danny pumped one past some faceless Oilers goalie, or Henrik bounced one in off of Alex Burrows’ pants.
Whatever, the two points were an “on-demand” item for Vancouver during the years that they were a Western Conference powerhouse, while the Oilers were in the midst of their multi-decade rebuild.
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs game recap: Cole Caufield, overtime wizard
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Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Two wins in a row. Do you know how many times the Montreal Canadiens have had a streak of two wins this season if we disregard the 7-1-2-start? Only once.
That two-game winning streak was actually a three-game streak coinciding around the team’s week long break due to a positive COVID test. So this is almost uncharted territory for the Habs, having won back-to-back games this weekend.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, entered this contest with five consecutive wins under their belt. During the last four of them, they had only conceded one goal per game. Since the Maple Leafs’ defence is apparently clickling right now, that first goal could have proved crucial.