Post-Game 2 Reactions: Canadiens have made it a series

Post-Game 2 Analysis

As I walked into Mellon Arena Sunday, an usher yelled to me: “What do you think? Pens in five, right?”

I responded, “Hmmm, I think six.”

The look I got back was as if I had just suggested pigs could fly.

And this was about the tenth time something like that had happened since it became clear Montreal and Pittsburgh would match up in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Every time I’d say, “Pens in six” the person who I was speaking with responded as if I was committing some sort of blasphemy by making that suggestion.

“No way! How could you even say that? Pens in five. Maybe even a sweep. In fact, maybe Montreal might just quit after three games.”

Well, the cliche in pro sports playoffs is, the series doesn’t start until one team wins on the road. Well….guess what.

Just as Ottawa (another allegedly overmatched Penguin appetizer en route to a Stanley Cup defense) did in round one, the lesser seeded Canadiens skated into Mellon Arena and grabbed one of the first two games of their Eastern Conference playoff series. One major difference is this: Montreal has Jaroslav Halak in goal….not Brian Elliott.

And Halak looked like the guy who shutdown Washington’s vaunted offense over the last three games of his teams monumental first round upset. He stopped 131 of the final 134 shots he faced against the Capitals. He stopped 38 of 39 at Mellon Arena.

Meanwhile Marc-Andre Fleury only stopped 18 of the 21 Montreal shots he faced. That was to the delight of far too many Montreal fans who made the trip down to Pittsburgh and invaded Mellon Arena during Montreal‘s 3-1 victory in Game 2. Most of them were sitting directly behind Fleury in a larger than normal visiting section of fans.

“It’s not about matching him,” said Fleury afterwards. “I just need to do a better job of making the saves to help my team win.”